Butter Cookies From Scratch

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks (¾ cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer or in a standing mixer with the paddle attachment at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. 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°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).

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. Wait until baking sheets are cooled before making more cookies.

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About

To make balls, simply roll one teaspoon of dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Roll in coarse sugar or finely chopped nuts. Bake, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until bottoms are browned, about 15 minutes total.

To garnish cookies with chocolate, melt 3 1/2 oz chocolate and cool slightly. Transfer to a heavy-duty sealable plastic bag and snip a 1/16-inch opening in 1 corner. Pipe chocolate evenly back and forth over cookies. Let chocolate set before storing cookies.

Cookies keep, layered between sheets of wax paper or parchment, in an airtight container at room temperature 1 week.