Butter Cookies-XMAS
From the Kitchen of: Gramma Caroline Emady
For BEST Results, BAKE SAME DAY, so dough is as fresh as possible...
Butter (ideally, on counter the night before baking) & eggs at room temperature. MEASURE, EXACTLY, all of the other ingredients. Then, In a Kitchen Aid Mixer:
Start w/ softening the butter, then add next 3 ingredients, blend on Low/Med, scrape w/ spatula VERY WELL.
*Add flour a little at a time, blend on Low, careful flour wants to fly out of the bowl!... when most of the flour is in & dough holds together (about 1/2 -2/3 cup less flour, which gives the cookies a more buttery flavor!), stop & dump batter onto countertop.
Form dough into a loaf. Then divide dough into 4 thick pancake shapes. Store in tupperware w/ waxpaper between the pancakes. Tightly seal tupperware & let dough rest in refrigerator for about 1 hour, till dough feels a bit firm and chilled all around. (Use this time to clear, clean & set up counter for rolling, cutting & deco)
...Take out one pancake at a time, rolling out dough that is still cool helps minimize sticking to the rolling pin. (If dough was in frig too long and hardened, put on counter to come close to room temp before rolling out)
Roll out as evenly as possible, on floured surface >>Not real thin Nor real thick, Then use cookie cutters & into ungreased cookie sheets. Sprinkle w/ deco sugars*
Bake @ 350 degrees,11-12 min, or until edges start to slightly brown. Carefully remove from tray while still warm (within a minute) to cookie rack to cool completely. Baked cookies stay very well in frig or freezer!
*OR bake plain and frost later (sometimes I bake the Santa faces plain, then later frost the beard & hat w/ thin powder sugar/water icing; red sprinkles on the hat)
Last Modified: December 13, 2022