Best Basic Butter Cookies Recipes

BASIC BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.
• Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a standing mixer (preferably fitted with paddle attachment) or 6 with a handheld. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture and mix until just combined.
• Form dough into a 12-inch log (2 inches in diameter) on a sheet of plastic wrap and roll up dough in plastic wrap. Chill dough on a baking sheet until firm, at least 4 hours. (To roll cookies into balls, see cooks' note, below.)
• Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 375°F.
• Cut enough 1/8- to 1/4-inch-thick slices from log with a heavy knife to fill 2 ungreased large baking sheets, arranging slices about 1 inch apart (chill remainder of log, wrapped in plastic wrap). If garnishing with coarse sugar, sprinkle slices with it.
• Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until edges are golden, 12 to 15 minutes total. Cool on sheets 3 minutes, then transfer with a metal spatula to racks to cool completely. Make more cookies with remaining dough on cooled baking sheets.
• *Available at specialty foods shops and New York Cake & Baking Distributor (800-942-2639).

REALLY BASIC PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Combine egg, sugar and peanut butter, mixing well. Roll dough into small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Flatten balls with a fork.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Let cookies cool on cookie racks. Variation: add chocolate or peanut butter flavored chips to the dough for an extra little twist.

BASIC PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
• Melt butter over low heat and stir into Basic Cookie Mix. Stir in peanut butter and lightly beaten egg. Add vanilla and mix well.
• With lightly floured hands shape into 1 inch balls and arrange about 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden. Cool a couple of minutes before removing from cookie sheet to racks to complete cooling.

BASIC BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease two cookie sheets and set aside.
• Sift the flour, baking powder and salt onto a sheet of wax paper and set aside. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the butter until light. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and beat until the dough is smooth.
• The dough can be shaped in a variety of ways: dropped from a teaspoon, molded into balls or run through the thin setting of a cookie press. It may also be packed into a pastry bag fitted with a large or small star tip to make "spritz cookies" in the shapes of rosettes or wreaths or in S-shapes. Leave 1 inch between cookies.
• Bake in the middle of the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges begin to turn golden.
• Transfer the cookies to racks to cool. (Cookies may be stored in an airtight container for up to 10 days or in the freezer for two months.)

BASIC BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.
• Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a standing mixer (preferably fitted with paddle attachment).
• Beat in egg and vanilla.
• Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture and mix until just combined.
• Form dough into a 12-inch log (2 inches in diameter) on a sheet of plastic wrap and roll up dough in plastic wrap.
• Chill dough on a baking sheet until firm, at least 4 hours.
• Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cut the dough into rounds (1/8 to 1/4 depending on preference) and place on cookie sheet about 1 inch apart.
• If garnishing with coarse sugar, sprinkle slices with it.
• Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until edges are golden, 12 to 15 minutes total.
• Cool on sheets 3 minutes, then transfer with a metal spatula to racks to cool completely.