Lindy's Cakes Ltd

Bringing world-class sugarcraft into your kitchen

The best Vanilla Cookie Recipe to use when baking and decorating cookies

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Here at Lindy’s Cakes we are always being asked for a the best recipe to use when decorating cookies, we use a few, but I think the winner has to be my vanilla cookie recipe.  It not only tastes good and keeps well, it doesn’t spread to much when baking – a very important factor when you want to bake and decorate shaped cookies.

Music festival cookies - wellie boots and musical notes

How to make and bake vanilla cookies

75g (3oz) butter, diced
1 small egg, beaten
275g (10oz) plain flour, sifted
30ml (2 tbsp) golden syrup
5ml (1 tsp) baking powder
100g (3½oz) caster sugar
2.5ml (½ tsp) vanilla extract

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  1. Preheat the oven to 170ºC (reduce by 10 – 20 degrees for fan) / 325ºF / Gas Mark 3
  2. Place the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl.
  3. Add the butter and rub together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
  4. Make a hollow in the centre and pour in the beaten egg, golden syrup and vanilla extract.
  5. Mix together well until you have a ball of dough.
  6. Place the dough in a plastic bag and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  7. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to 5mm thick and stamp out the biscuits, using your chosen cutters. Lightly knead and re-roll the trimmings together again to use up all the dough.
  8. Place the biscuits on baking sheets.
  9. Bake biscuits for 12-15 minutes until lightly coloured and firm but not crisp.
  10. Leave on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cookie decorating reference book

f you’d like a physical reference that includes this vanilla cookie recipe plus a couple of others, and I know that many of you do, the book you need on your bookshelf is my “Bake me I’m yours…cookie“ book. It is full of decorating ideas to inspire you too!

Bake me I'm yours cookie book by Lindy Smith

Decorated cookie inspiration and information

Over the years I must of baked and decorated thousands upon thousands of cookies, I love them. They are quick and highly effective and make wonderful small gifts that bring joy into peoples lives. If you’d like to see many more examples of the cookies I’ve decorated, many using my vanilla cookie recipe as a base, please take a look at my ‘Be inspired by cookies’ page. Here you’ll find a wealth of ideas, links to cookie cutters and a free how-to cookie decorating tutorial.

Be inspired by Lindy's decorated cookies

If you have found this blog useful, please share:

vanilla cookie recipe by Lindy Smith - perfected for decorating

Happy baking and decorating

Lindy Smith

‘Bringing world-class sugarcraft into your kitchen’

About Lindy Smith

Award winning, best-selling author and sugarcraft artist, who loves to design beautiful colourful cakes, inspire, teach and supply you with gorgeous products.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Colette says

    I always make this recipe and love it – they always go down very well at the school cake sales!!!

  2. Paulette says

    Hi I like the look of this recipe, is it possible to freeze it? My sister-in-law is expecting any day now and I would like to be prepared so that I can make bootie cookies and then ice in the appropriate colour. If I can’t freeze how long can I leave the dough in the fridge for?

  5. Lindys Team says

    Hello Kay,

    The other recipes in the book do not contain eggs – have a try of them. They really are very tasty.
    Alternatively, you could try using egg substitute in the vanilla cookie recipe.

  7. Alison Inglis says

    Looks a great recipe am about to try it out, but when do you add the golden syrup? I imagine it’s at the same time as the egg, but would just like confirmation.

  10. jane says

    Hi! Since I’m in Canada….is “plain flour” the same as all purpose?…”golden syrup” I believe is corn syrup? and can I use regular granulated sugar for the “caster” sugar,even though I think caster sugar is finer?
    Thank you!

  11. Lindy Smith says

    Hi Jane
    Plain flour is ‘all purpose’ and you can use corn syrup instead of golden syrup. Regards caster sugar, you are correct it is finer than granulated, if you can’t find a finer sugar why not grind it up finer yourself – Hope this helps!
    Happy Baking
    Lindy

  12. karin says

    hi, i live in chile, and we dont have brown syrup down here, so can i use maple syrup instead, is the same quantity?
    thks

  13. Lindys Team says

    Hi Karin,

    Thank you for your enquiry.
    We suggest that you use honey in the same quantity, instead of maple syrup as the consistency is similar to the brown syrup.
    Have fun!

    Marina

  14. Sandra says

    Hi! First of all I really like your blog, and your cakes and cookies are so beautiful. You are really talented.
    I will be baking the cookies but I will like to know if I can use whole wheat flour instead ; or if I can use a mix of both. Thanks so much for your reply.

  15. Lindys Team says

    Hi Sandra,
    We are glad to hear that you are enjoying the blog.
    Lindy is amazing, a true inspiration.
    The cookies can be mixed with whole wheat flour. We wouldn’t recommend using just whole wheat flour on its own as it would be too heavy but a mix will work. Half and Half maybe. Give it a try, and maybe do different batches of the cookies with varying amounts of the flour and see which come out best.
    Hope you enjoy the taste testing!

    Marina

  16. Emma Morris says

    Hi Lindy,

    Thank god you were kind enough to share this on your blog for us. I have your book of cookie recipes but can’t find it and promised to make some today for my friend, so its great I found it on here…hooray!
    x

  18. Emma Brindale says

    I always find that this recipe is a little too sticky – can you suggest what I am doing wrong?

  19. Lindys Team says

    Hi Emma,
    The Vanilla Cookie Recipe may be too sticky if the ingredients are not 100% accurate in quantity.
    There may be too much liquid so I would try measuring out the ingredients to the exacts amounts.
    Good luck!
    Marina

  20. Carol says

    Hi Lindy,
    I’ve just made your vanilla cookies for a charity event. Due to the number I made, I decided to cut the shapes out, freeze them and cook them from frozen. They were absolutely delicious and remained crisp in air tight tins. I decorated them with jam and fondant icing and placed them into cello cookies bags and tied them within two days of the event and stored them all in air tight boxes. They went down really well and the comments were brilliant. However, they were slightly soft in texture and I am not sure why. Could this be due to the moist fondant? I have still got some undecorated biscuits in a tin and they remain crisp. Could you advise me where I may have gone wrong or is this normal with decorated cookies? I have to make the favours for my sons forthcoming wedding and want them to be perfect?
    Carol

  21. Lindys Team says

    Hi Carol,
    Sounds like you have a lot on your hands with all these cookies!
    Once decorated the cookies should be put in the cookie bags and not air tight containers. They need air or they will go soggy. Do a trial with a few before your next challenge and see how they keep in the bag or a cardboard box like a cake box.
    Peace, love and cookies!

    Marina

  23. Mercedes says

    I am finding it difficult to get small eggs… don’t seem available? Is it ok to substitute with a medium egg OR do the other ingredients need to be altered?
    Thanks in advance
    Mercedes

  24. Ariel says

    Hi Lindy,

    Could you tell me how many cookies you get from this recipe if you used standard size 3″ cookie cutters.

  26. Lindys Team says

    Hi Mercedes,
    If you cannot find small eggs, we would recommend going with the medium egg and not altering the other ingredients. When you come to role the dough out, if it appears a little dry, add a bit of milk.
    Have fun cookieing!

    Marina

  27. Clare says

    Hello,

    Could you let me know how long these would stay fresh, in individual cellophane bags, stored in a cardboard box? Just trying to decide on logistics of making 150 for the end of next week…. As I’m going away I’d need to bake the cookies 7 days in advance of the event, and then ice them 5 days before.

    Thank you very muchly indeed :o)

    Warm wishes, Clare x

  28. Lindys Team says

    Hi Clare,
    The cookies will be well protected inside the cellophane bags and will keep for 2-4 weeks depending on how crisp they were when they came out of the oven.
    Sugar and sweet.
    Marina

  30. Daniella says

    hi

    just a quick question can you make the dough prior to cooking and freeze for 3days or is it best to freeze them already baked? trying to make some for christmas and running out of time!

    thanks x

  31. Jane says

    Hello Daniella,
    Your dough would be fine in the freezer. If you are only intending to freeze for 3 days, you could just keep it in the fridge.
    Jane

  32. adebowale abiose says

    hi,
    u’ve got a great team here. keep up the good job. is it compulsory to freeze the dough before rolling out.
    many thanks,
    biose

  34. Graham says

    Hi lindy could you please tell me how do I stick sugar paste to the cookies when thay are done this will be my first time I have made cookies thanks graham

  35. Jane says

    Hello Graham,
    We use Piping Gel. Unlike jam, it will not make the cookies soft. You can also use piping gel as water or water droplets in your sugarcrafting.
    Jane

  36. Fiona Wallace says

    I’ve been looking for a recipe for cookies so will definitely give this a try. I’m very new to all this but I’ve been so inspired by the samples I have seen. Can anyone give any tips on the best way to decorate the cookies?

  39. Sal says

    Hi, I just love this recipe, they came out perfect first time!! Just wondering if you have a chocolate alternative as I wanted to give my chocolate sugarpaste a try!! thanks

  40. Lindys Team says

    Hi Sal,
    Great to hear this recipe worked well for you. Lindy does not have a chocolate equivalent, however if you manage to find a good one please can you let us know.
    Keep on baking!
    Marina

  41. Victoria says

    Hi,

    Is it possible to decorate the cookies with Royal Icing instead of fondant or will it make the cookies go soft?

    Thanks for advice x

  42. Lindys Team says

    Hi Victoria

    You can decorate cookies using Royal Icing instead of sugarpaste. It will not make the cookies go soft, but royal icing will dry hard.

    Happy Baking!
    Fiona

  43. Catherine Cooper says

    Hi,

    I love this recipe and found it makes perfect cookies, I was wondering if you have a chocolate cookie recipe available, as I have had a request for some chocolate Halloween cookies.

    Many Thanks
    Catherine

  44. Lindys Team says

    Hi Catherine

    Unfortuately Lindy hasn’t published a recipe for chocolate cookies, but you could always try the spiced orange cookies, they are great for Halloween!

    Fiona

  45. Jocelyn says

    Hi
    I made these cookies at the weekend & they initally came out lovely nice & crisp. I put them on a metal cooling rack for a few hours, however when I went back to ice them they had gone soft – what did I do wrong? Also, I keep hearing about cookie bags, where do I get these?
    Would appreciate any advice you can offer!
    Thank you

  47. Jocelyn says

    Hi Fiona
    I didn’t cover them at all. The only thing I can think is I left them in a kitchen where a roast dinner was cooking – could the heat in the kitchen affect them? Should I store the cookies individually just in the cookie bags? Sorry for all the questions, I want to perfect them before Christmas!!
    Thank you

  48. Lindys Team says

    Hi Jocelyn
    The cookies could have been affected by the roast dinner cooking, as if the kitchen heated up (as mine does) condensation forms and the cookies will absorb the moisture. Once cooked and cooled, cookies can be stored in airtight containers, with kitchen roll separating the layers. Give them another try before you need them!
    Good Luck!
    Fiona

  49. Caroline Shaw says

    Hi,

    I made these biscuits, left them to cool on a wire rack for an hour, decorated them with sugarpaste and then left in a cardboard box to dry overnight and the following day the biscuits were soft. Should I put them straight into cookie bags and tie them with ribbon and let them dry in the bag, I really don’t know what I am doing wrong and it is stressing me so much. Please help, thank you very much xx

  50. Lindys Team says

    Hi Caroline

    It sounds like you haven’t left the biscuits to cool long enough after coming out of the oven. They need longer than an hour to cool down and this could have affected the sugarpaste.

    Once they are very cool, put them in tupperware with kitchen roll inbetween layers to store before decorating. Then once they are decorated they can go in a coardboard box or cookie bag.

    Hope this works.
    Susie

  51. kirsty says

    hello there
    great looking recipe! im going to use noahs ark inspired mini cutters and cut out sugar paste baby blue animals to put on the finished cookies…to improve the taste and ‘glue’ the icing to the cookie do you think I could use melted white chocolate or melted white choc and icing sugar???
    thanks!

  52. Lindys Team says

    Hi Kirsty

    We usually use piping gel to “stick” our sugarpaste onto a cookie. You could try using melted white chocolate but we haven’t tried it ourselves. It might make the cookie quite sweet. Why don’t you experiment with a couple of cookies first – let us know how you get on.

    Good luck.
    Susie