In your mixing bowl add the butter, icing sugar and vanilla. Use the paddle attachment on low speed to slowly combine the ingredients, before increasing the speed to medium. You are ‘creaming’ the ingredients.

After about two minutes will notice the colour becomes paler. Spatula down the sides of the bowl to make sure that all the sugar and butter have combined.

Add the egg yolks, one at a time. Continue mixing on medium speed until the egg yolk has blended in.

Mix the flour and almonds together and on slow speed add this dry mix to the creamed butter.

Mix until all your ingredients have formed dough. It shouldn’t take long – say about 30 seconds.

Place the dough in a bowl and cover or wrap in plastic wrap. “Rest” the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Set up for rolling the dough. You’ll need a rolling pin, a pastry sheet, a pastry brush, a little plain flour (to prevent the dough sticking), your choice of biscuit cutter shape and a palette knife.

Pre-heat your oven to 180c. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Turn the pastry out on your lightly floured pastry sheet. Use flour sparingly on your rolling pin.

Roll the dough out to around 8mm thick.

Using your cutter cut out the individual biscuits. Avoid the ragged edges of the rolled out dough. Transfer the shapes to the baking sheet.

Brush any excess flour off the dough scraps. Reform these scraps and repeat the process until all the dough has been used up.

Bake for 10-15 minutes until light brown in colour.

Slide baked shortbread onto a wire cooling rack.

Unless you are storing them in an airtight container dust with icing sugar and serve.