Basic Butter Cookies
This is just one of these recipes that can be made into many other recipes. I found it in the December 2003 issue of Gourmet and I kept like a treasure. When my kids were younger I used to make them just for Christmas but this basic cookie recipe can be made for any occasion. You can make them with icing or add pretty much anything you like in your cookies. This recipe can be chilled up to 5 days.
Adapted from Gourmet, December 2003
Makes about 4 dozen cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
In a small bowl mix together flour, baking powder and salt. In a standing electric mixer beat butter, sugar at medium-high speed about 3 minutes. Use the paddle attached.Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture . Mix until combined. Form dough into two balls and flattening each into a 6-inch disk. Chill disks wrapped in plastic wrap until firm, approximately 4 hours. When you are ready to bake put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. On a well-floured surface roll out 1 piece of dough (leaving remaining dough chilled) into a 9-inch round, about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out as many cookies as possible from dough with cutters and transfer to 2 ungreased cookie sheets. Arrange cookies one inch apart. Bake cookies until edges are pale golden, 8 to 10 minutes.
