(My kids determine a holiday's worth by whether or not they get to make and decorate cookies to go with it. Anyone seen an Abraham Lincoln shaped cookie cutter?)
The ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
2-1/2 cups flour
Using an electric mixer at medium-high speed, cream the butter, gradually add the sugar. Beat in the egg until evenly mixed, then blend in the vanilla extract and salt.
With a spoon, stir the flour into the creamed ingredients, about one third at a time until evenly blended. **LAZY ALERT--to heck with stirring by hand, I just mixed the flour in the mixer and it turned out just fine**.
Refrigerate dough 2-3 hours.
Cookie cut as desired. Bake at 350° for ~7 minutes.
For a fun variation on the normal sugar cookie try this:
Cut a smaller shape out of each cookie, then place on a piece of parchment paper on baking sheet.
Place a Life Saver or two (depending on the size of the hole) into the cut-out shape.
Bake as usual. Allow liquid to set then remove from pan.
Voila! Stained glass cookies...guaranteed to be the most unique cookies at the party!
This also is particularly stunning as a star shaped cookie at Christmas time.
Enjoy!
