Instructions
1. Line two large baking trays or sheets with baking paper or parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.

2. Cream together the room-temperature butter and sugar until light and fluffy. This can be done by hand, using an electric hand mixer, or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. This will take 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

(Note – if the butter is a bit hard, microwave in 10-second intervals until it is soft enough to cream. Do not melt. )

3. Add in the sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla essence. Mix in until well combined.

4. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Then add in a third of the flour, mixing through until combined, repeat twice more with the last two thirds. Once all the flour has been mixed in, it may knead to be kneaded a few times to ensure all the flour is mixed through. You should have a soft cookie dough.

5. Portion or divide the cookie dough using a cookie scoop. Or roll out balls of dough approximately 3cm in diameter. Place the rolled cookie dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet about 4cm (1.5 inches) apart. Press the cookies down until they are about 1cm tall using your fingers or the back of a fork.

6. Bake the cookies in a preheated oven for 15 to 25 minutes or until the cookies are a beautiful light golden brown color.

(Note – If your cookie dough feels a bit soft, you can place the portioned cookies on a plate or baking sheet in the fridge for 10 to 30 minutes to firm up. )