Makes: 3 to 4 dozen
Time: 35 minutes, plus time to chill
This is a versatile foundation recipe you can take in many directions. The dough is soft and easy to handle. Cutout shapes are a holiday staple (see the variations that follow), but slicing logs of dough is easier for everyday enjoyment.
1. Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy; add the egg and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy, at least 2 minutes.
2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir just until a sandy dough forms. Form the dough into 2 logs about 2 inches in diameter, wrap tightly in plastic, and chill until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.
3. To bake, heat the oven to 375°F. Unwrap the dough and roll each log in coarse sugar to coat fully if you like. Cut the dough into ¼-inch slices and put on ungreased baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake until the edges are starting to brown and the centers are set, 6 to 8 minutes. The cookies will still be very soft and almost seem not quite done when you take them out of the oven; be careful not to overbake. Let sit for a minute on the sheets, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling. These will keep in an airtight container for a day or two.
ROLLED SUGAR COOKIES Great for decorating with Vanilla Glaze or Royal Icing: Shape the dough into a disk instead of logs, wrap tightly in plastic, and chill as directed. To bake, cut the dough disk in half. Lightly flour a work surface and a rolling pin, then roll out the dough gently until about ⅛ inch thick, adding flour as necessary and turning the dough to prevent sticking. Cut with any cookie cutter.
NO-CHILL SUGAR COOKIES No need for rolling, chilling, and slicing if you’re in a hurry: Roll tablespoon-size pieces of dough into balls. Place on the baking sheet, press down lightly with the tines of a fork, sprinkle with coarse sugar, and bake.
CHOCOLATE SUGAR COOKIES Decrease the flour to 2½ cups and add ¼ cup cocoa powder. Melt 3 ounces chopped chocolate and stir it into the dough. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
GINGER SPICE COOKIES These are buttery like sugar cookies but warm and spicy like gingersnaps: Add 1 teaspoon ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon nutmeg to the dry ingredients. Proceed with the recipe and fold 2 tablespoons chopped candied ginger into the finished dough. If you like, roll the cookies in cinnamon sugar instead of coarse sugar before baking.
BROWN SUGAR COOKIES These have chewy centers and a caramel flavor: Decrease the sugar to 1½ cups and add ½ cup packed light brown sugar. Proceed with the recipe.
ROSEMARY COOKIES A good dessert for those who don’t have a sweet tooth; serve them alongside a good cheese: Decrease the sugar to 1 cup. Add 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary leaves and ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper to the dry ingredients. Omit the vanilla. If you like, use 1 cup olive oil in place of the butter and increase the flour to 3 cups.
CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER PINWHEEL COOKIES Divide the finished dough in half. Stir 2 ounces melted chocolate into one half and ½ cup peanut butter into the other half until well incorporated; it’s okay if the doughs are still lightly marbled; you won’t see this once they’re rolled together. Shape the dough separately into disks, wrap each in plastic, and chill as directed. Roll each disk ¼ inch thick on a piece of wax paper, then stack them; remove one sheet of wax paper and use the other to roll the layers into a single log. Wrap and refrigerate for another 2 hours, then slice into ¼-inch cookies and bake.
JAM SANDWICH COOKIES Like a simpler Linzer (see page 167 for the traditional version): Proceed with the recipe and let the cookies cool completely. Smear 1 teaspoon of your favorite jam between 2 cookies.
BUTTER COOKIES Decrease the sugar to 1 cup and the vanilla to 1 teaspoon. Substitute 1 teaspoon baking powder for the baking soda. Drop the dough into tablespoon-size mounds on the sheets instead of shaping; bake as directed. If you like, sprinkle the tops of the just-baked cookies with a pinch of coarse salt.
LIGHTER SUGAR COOKIES Not as dense and rich as the main recipe; these can be baked right away or chilled and rolled: Use 2 eggs; beat them into the butter mixture until it’s light. Increase the baking soda to 1½ teaspoons; when all the ingredients are just barely combined, mix in ¼ cup milk.
CAKEY SUGAR COOKIES These make a drop cookie, not a slice-and-bake: Replace the baking soda with 2 teaspoons baking powder. Stir half of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture before adding 2 tablespoons milk and the rest of the dry ingredients. Add more milk as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is soft and can be dropped from a spoon. No need to chill. Drop in tablespoon-size mounds onto the baking sheets.