My favourite fluffy vanilla cookies

Hi all,
I made a batch of these at 3am last night. Then a second, larger batch just now. I think that means they’re good enough to warrant a recipe share, right? :)

These are the softest, fluffiest cookies I’ve ever tasted. They’re almost half way between a cake and a cookie, they’re that light & soft. Whenever I make a batch the whole house is filled with a gorgeous, buttery, vanilla aroma that’s far stronger than I smell from my cakes, despite using almost the same ingredients-must be something magic about cookies in general, or this recipe in particular. The dough is too delicate to be rolled & cut-out, plus they rise and crack meaning these are more a teatime treat than something to be decorated with royal icing… And they’re not so sweet you have to stop at just one (or two, or three… ;))

For this I’ll have to introduce you to one of my good friends – shakkar. You might know it as jaggery powder, sucanat or unrefined sugar. I bought it on a whim once from my local Asian supermarket and never looked back. Its closer to raw sugar than the white crystalline stuff we’re used to. It has a caramel taste, like a kind of natural butterscotch. It’s a little bit salty if you taste it alone, which makes for a great flavour boost in baked goods. Plus it has an intensity of sweetness and flavour that almost makes it taste “hot”, in the way ginger or cinnamon kindof does, if you use too much. That means in substituting for regular sugar I go for half the quantity or less, without loss of flavour. In this recipe it’s more like a quarter, and they’re still sweet – at the first bite you might not think so, but it starts off subtly then builds as you have more bites, until you’re finished and left with a warm, almost tingly, sweet sensation in your mouth. Combine that with the fluffy, buttery, vanilla-ey flavour and this cookie is pretty hard to resist.

Ingredients: makes about 20 cookies
180g butter, soft
70g shakkar
5 tbsp egg whites (or beaten, whole egg if you prefer- about 2 small eggs)
1.5 tsp vanilla (I used homemade extract)
Pinch of salt
330g self raising flour (or AP + a tsp or two of baking powder)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (fan)
Sift the shakkar to remove any lumps then cream with the butter for a few minutes until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and beat again, until well combined.
Stir in the vanilla, salt then flour. You should have a very soft, sticky dough.

Place rounded tablespoons onto an ungreased baking tray.

Bake for 8 minutes, or until the edges are just starting to turn golden. Cool on a wire rack until they’re firm enough to pick up without falling apart.
Enjoy!