Butter Cookies

By nichc

Great for decorating and using with cookie cutters.

Ingredients

• Basic Recipe:
• 2 sticks salted butter, room temperature (margarine/butter substitute won't work)
• 1 extra large egg
• 1 1/4 cups unsifted confectioners sugar
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• Variations:
• 1 ) Replace Vanilla with your choice of lemon, almond, or anise extract.
• 2 )Replace confectioners sugar with 1 cup packed brown sugar. Increase vanilla to 2 teaspoons.
• 3 )Replace 1 stick of butter with 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter. Increase vanilla to 2 teaspoons. Reduce flour to 2 cups.
• 4 ) (must be chilled about 1 hour before baking). Replace 1 stick of butter with 4 oz cream cheese and 1 teaspoon of grated orange rind. 1 cup fruit preserves or marmalade.

Details

Servings 24

Preparation

Step 1

Beat butter, sugar, egg and vanilla in large bowl with mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy. Sift flour, add 1/4 cup at a time and beat on low speed until well mixed. Shape cookies (see shape options below). Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 8-9 minutes or until lightly browned on the edges. Do not brown entire tops. Remove from oven, leave a minute then transfer to cooling rack.

Shape Options:
1) Spoon batter into cookie press and press cookies out onto cookie sheet.
2) Shape dough into log, wrap in wax paper and refrigerate until firm. Cut into 1/8 inch thick slices and place on buttered cookie sheet.
3) Spread dough out in a 13x9x2 pan, sprinkle top with 6oz (or more) and bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Cool until chocolate hardens and cut into bars.
4) Roll into little balls and flatten gently on a cookie sheet with the bottom of a glass until cookies are about 1/4 inch thick.
5) Use variation #4 and press thumb into the middle of each cookie making a slight indentation. Fill indentation with jam or preserves OR sprinkle cookies with colored jimmies (candy sprinkles).