Butter cookies
Kara's favorite for cutting out and rolling, especially around the holidays.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
- 18 tbsp salted butter
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp double strength vanilla extract
- citrus zest (optional)
- 2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- Decorating icing
Directions
Combine the sugar, butter, egg yolk, salt, vanilla extract and citrus zest (I use a combination of lemon, orange, lime -- but you can use zest from whatever citrus fruit you have on hand), beating until smooth. Add the flour, mixing until smooth. The mixture will seem dry at first but will suddenly come together. If it doesn't, dribble in a tablespoon of water.
Divide the dough in half, shape each half into a flattened disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate two hours or overnight. When you're ready to bake, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it soften for 20-30 minutes, until it feels soft enough to roll. It should still feel cold, but shouldn't feel rock hard.
Sprinkle your rolling surface with flour and flour your rolling pin. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll it to 1/8-inch or 1/16-inch thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut shapes. Re-roll and cut the dough scraps. Place the cookies on an ungreased, parchment paper-lined baking sheet. They can be close together as they will not spread much.
Bake the cookies in a preheated 350 degree oven for 12-14 minutes, until they've set and just barely browned around the edges.
Remove the cookies from the oven and cool right on the pan. Repeat with remaining piece of dough: rolling, cutting, baking. When they are completely cool, ice and decorate (see recipe for decorating icing).
Makes about 5 dozen 2-inch cookies.
