Cream the Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and 100g of caster sugar together on medium speed for about 2-3 minutes. You want the mixture to become light, pale, and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice to ensure everything is evenly combined. Beat in the vanilla extract.

Combine the Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the plain flour and the cornflour. Using cornflour is my secret to an extra-tender, melt-in-the-mouth texture.

Form the Dough: Add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix on a low speed until the ingredients just start to come together. Be careful not to overmix at this stage. The mixture will look quite crumbly and sandy, which is exactly what we want.

Add the Cranberries: Tip in the chopped dried cranberries and mix on low for just a few seconds, until they are evenly distributed throughout the crumbly dough.

Bring it Together and Chill: Tip the mixture out onto a clean work surface. Use your hands to gently press and knead the dough a few times until it forms a cohesive ball. I find that using the heel of my hand to push the dough away from me helps bring it together without warming it up too much. Form the dough into a flat disc, wrap it tightly in cling film, and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour. You can leave it for up to 2 days.

Preheat and Prepare: When you're ready to bake, preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan/Gas Mark 4). Line two large baking trays with parchment paper.

Roll and Cut: Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. Unwrap the chilled dough and roll it out to a thickness of about 5-6mm (around ¼ inch). Use a 6cm round cutter to cut out your cookies, re-rolling the scraps as needed. Place the cut cookies onto the prepared baking trays, leaving a little space between each one.

Bake to Perfection: If you like, sprinkle the tops of the cookies with the extra 2 tablespoons of caster sugar for a sparkly, crisp finish. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the edges are a very pale golden brown. The centres should still look quite light in colour.

Cool Completely: Let the cookies cool on the baking trays for 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. They will be fragile when warm but will firm up as they cool.