makes
36
prep
20 minutes
cook
20 minutes
difficulty
Easy
makes
36
serves
preparation
20
minutes
cooking
20
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
Ingredients
Cookie
- ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2¼ cup (335 g) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 1 tsp (3 g) cream of tartar
- ½ tsp (1.5 g) baking powder
- ½ tsp (2.5 g) salt
- ½ cup (125 ml) coloured sprinkles (100s & 1000s)
Frosting
- ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3¼ cups (420 g) icing sugar, sifted
- ¼ cup (60 ml) half-&-half cream (see Note)
- 1½ tsp (7 ml) vanilla extract
- coloured sprinkles (100s & 1000s), for décor
The recipe makes one 23 cm x 33 pan, which can be cut into 36 or 48 pieces.
Cooling time: 2 hours.
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Lightly grease a 23 cm x 33 cm (9 in x 13 in) pan and line it with parchment so that the paper comes up the sides.
2. Cream the butter and sugar by hand in a large mixing bowl, until fluffy. Beat in the egg. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, cream of tartar, baking powder and salt. Add this all at once to the butter mixture and stir until the mixture is an even but rough crumbly texture (it will not come together as a dough). Stir in the sprinkles. Press this into the prepared pan and bake for about 20 minutes, until it just begins to brown at the edges. Cool the cookie in the pan on a rack completely before frosting.
3. For the frosting, use electric beaters or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to beat the butter until smooth. Add about half of the icing sugar and beat in first on low speed, and then increase to medium-high and beat until fluffy and scarping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Add the cream and vanilla and beat in until smooth. Add the remaining icing sugar and beat again on low and then increasing to medium-high, until the frosting is fluffy. Spread this over the cookie base and top with sprinkles. Let the pan sit uncovered for an hour and then cut the cookies into squares.
Note
• Half and half is common in Canada, where Anna Olson is based. It is, as the name suggests, a mixture of equal parts milk and cream, with a fat content of around 10%. Instead of the ½ cup used in this recipe, you can use ¼ cup full cream milk + ¼ cup thickened cream.
• The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
