In the bowl of a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and creamy.
Beat in the vanilla and egg scraping down the bowl after mixing in.
Sift together the dry ingredients then add to the butter mixture. Mix on medium speed until incorporated.
Divide the dough into two then roll each piece out between two sheets of parchment paper.
Using a cookie cutter, cut out cookies then place on cookie sheets.
Place the cookies in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC/350°F.
Place the baking sheets into the oven and allow to bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
While the cookies are baking, stir together the sugar and spices and set aside.
Remove from the oven and allow to cook for 10 minutes before coating in the sugar and transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Allowing the cookies to cool will set the cookies' shape. If you coat the cookies immediately after baking they will still be quite soft and will likely break apart or lose their shape.