Christmas butter shortbread

To bake the Christmas butter shortbread, take the butter out of the fridge about an hour before preparation so that it softens. Check this by pressing lightly on the butter with your finger. It should soften, but not be runny.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, the scraped-out seeds from the vanilla pod and salt. Try to mix everything well, but do not overbeat. You want a uniform mixture, not a fluffy cream.

Now add the flour and cornflour and work everything into a smooth dough. Add the egg and knead as briefly as possible, as too much kneading can make the cookies hard.

Pour the batter into a piping bag with a star-shaped nozzle. It is important that the dough is not too cold, otherwise it will be difficult to push through the nozzle.

Now pipe small squiggles or stripes onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. I like to create different shapes to add to the Christmas feel.

Bake the cookies in a preheated oven at 180 degrees (fan oven 160 degrees) for about 10-12 minutes until they are lightly golden brown around the edges. Stick around and check after about 8 minutes, every oven is different and sometimes the cookies need less time.

Leave the shortbread cookies to cool on a wire rack and then sprinkle them lightly with powdered sugar. Happy baking and Merry Christmas!