Cookie Dough

This dough is the perfect starting place for almost endless creative cookie possibilities. One idea: Cut it into the shape of letters to make festive sayings, then, before putting the cookies on the cookie sheets, sprinkle with colored sugars and poke a hole through each cookie with a drinking straw. That way, you can lace some ribbon through the cookies and hang them up when they're all done!

Yield: 4 to 6 dozen cookies

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter*
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, egg, vanilla extract and salt. Gradually add the flour; beat until well combined.
2. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
3. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
4. Separate the dough into 4 pieces, then roll out each piece on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut or mold the dough into desired shapes.
5. Place the shapes on ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until light brown.

Notes

* It's best not to substitute margarine for butter in this recipe. The size of the cookie cutters you use will determine the yield. (That's why there's such a wide range given on the yield!)

Attribution

Posted by kdipaolo at Recipe Goldmine 6/23/01 8:41:38 pm.