Weigh the all-purpose flour and cornstarch in a bowl. Stir with a spoon and then sift well. Set aside.

In a small bowl, weigh the fresh cardamom powder.

Weigh the icing sugar in a bowl. Sift well.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or handheld mixer, weigh the butter & vanilla extract.

Weigh and finely chop the dark chocolate into small chunks so it's easier to roll the cookie dough.

Cut parchment paper to line 1 or 2 baking trays.

Cut 2 sheets of parchment paper for rolling the dough.

In a small bowl, add a few tablespoons of flour. set aside.

Set out the following equipment - a rolling pin, a 4 cm cookie cutter or a cookie cutter of your preference, and a small offset spatula.

Blend the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or handheld mixer, until softened on medium speed.

Mix in the icing sugar on low speed for 10 seconds and then increase to medium speed till just combined. Avoid overmixing or creaming.

Mix in the all-purpose flour, cornstarch and cardamom powder mixer until combined. The dough will form small to medium nuggets.

On low speed, mix the chocolate till almost combined.

Mix until big nuggets of dough form or bring the dough together using your hands. Make sure to check that there are no pockets of butter that have not been mixed.

Spread plastic wrap on your kitchen counter and transfer the dough onto it.

Knead the dough a little till it becomes smooth & even.

Avoid over-kneading as you do not want the butter to melt. Be quick.

Flatten the dough into an even disk and wrap it completely.

Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for 2 hours or more.

When the dough has chilled till nice and firm, prepare your kitchen counter for rolling out the dough (see preparation for the shortbread section).

When you can poke the dough without your finger becoming greasy, it is ready to be rolled ( the dough will be a little cool at this stage).

Place the dough in between the two parchment paper sheets. You can spread a little flour on the top & bottom of the dough to prevent it from sticking.

Slowly roll the dough in an even motion.

Move your hand across the rolled dough to check if it's being rolled evenly.

Keep rolling the dough till it reaches a height of 1 cm.

Chill the rolled dough for 10 minutes.

Once chilled, dip the cookie cutter in the flour to coat.

Using one swift motion cut the dough using the cookie cutter. Avoid moving the cookie cutter in a circular motion as this will make it lose shape while baking.

Pick each cookie with the offset spatula and transfer it to a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

Repeat the process till you have made 24 cookies or till all the dough has been used.

Transfer the cookies to a baking tray using plastic wrap & chill overnight or till very hard/rock hard.

Preheat the oven to 160°C.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Once the oven is preheated, transfer the chilled cookie dough (which you have just removed from the refrigerator) to the lined baking sheets about 1 and a 1/2 inches apart.

Bake for 20 minutes till the cookies are firm to the touch on the sides, a little soft in the centre and golden brown.

To prevent the cookies from over-browning, cover the cookies with parchment paper while baking. You can even do this halfway through baking time.

Cool in the baking tray for 15 minutes and then transfer onto a cooling rack.

You can dip the cookies in melted chocolate to decorate. Make sure to chill the cookies till the chocolate is firm before serving.