I started baking because my child loves cookies, and making them myself ensures quality and allows me to control the sugar content. This recipe yields about one full baking sheet (36×28 cm). If you prefer sweeter cookies, you can increase the sugar to 35g-50g. However, I dislike overly sweet treats, so 35g is my personal limit. For cookies intended for my child, I typically use only 25g of sugar.
The resulting cookies are exceptionally crisp and melt-in-your-mouth. For a firmer texture, you can substitute the egg yolk with half a whole egg (though I do not recommend this, as I dislike the texture from whole eggs). Ingredients: – Unsalted Butter: 110g – Caster Sugar (Fine Granulated Sugar): 35g – Raw Egg Yolk: 1 – Low-Gluten Flour: 130-140g – Salt: 1g Instructions: 1. Take the butter out several hours in advance to soften until it can be easily spread. Do not melt the butter. It should be very soft but not melted. 2. Add 1g of salt and 15g of caster sugar to the butter. Mix evenly with a whisk. Do not use an electric mixer at this stage; simply stir by hand. 3. Add the remaining 20g of caster sugar to the butter. Use an electric mixer to combine until just uniform. Do not overbeat; stop once mixed. The butter should lighten slightly in color. 4. Add one egg yolk to the butter mixture. Continue mixing with the electric mixer on low speed until just combined. Avoid overbeating. 5. Sift in the low-gluten flour. Use a spatula to fold the mixture until uniform. Do not stir in a circular motion to prevent gluten development. 6. Preheat the oven to 150°C (both top and bottom heat). 7. Fit a piping bag with a large, open-star piping tip (I use a large 8-tooth tip. Avoid small, densely-toothed tips). 8. The batter should be very soft. If it is not soft enough, the butter may not have been softened properly, or the room temperature may be too low. 9. When piping, start about 1cm above the baking sheet. Do not press the tip directly against the surface. 10. Bake on the middle rack for 25-30 minutes at 150°C. Adjust the time based on your oven. Monitor closely for the last 5 minutes to prevent burning. Note: The oven must be preheated; otherwise, the slow temperature rise will melt the butter and cause the cookies to flatten. 11. Once baked, the cookies are extremely crisp and crumble easily when gently pressed. Allow them to cool completely before handling, as they are soft and fragile when warm.
