Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
INGREDIENTS
3/4 |
cup butter, at room temperature |
11/4 |
cups sugar |
2 |
eggs |
1 |
teaspoon vanilla extract |
2 |
cups all-purpose flour |
1/4 |
teaspoon salt |
|
Vegetable oil for greasing the baking sheet |
|
Confectioners' sugar |
1. Put the butter in a bowl. With an electric mixer set on high speed, beat the butter until soft and light in color.
2. Gradually add the sugar in a slow, steady stream, and beat until creamy and lemon yellow. Then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and stir just until blended.
3. Put the flour and salt into a sifter and sift them into a small bowl. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating it in with the electric mixer on low speed until it is fully incorporated. The dough will become very stiff and you may have to knead the last bit of flour in by hand. With your hands, pat the dough into a ball and flatten the ball into a thick disk. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
4. Preheat an oven to 400ºF. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
5. Remove dough from the refrigerator and unwrap. Dust your work surface with flour. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough 1/4-inch thick.
6. Using cookie cutters of any shape you like, cut cookies out of the dough. Carefully transfer the cookies to the oiled baking sheet, leaving a little space around each one. Gather up any dough scraps, roll them out again, and cut out more cookies.
7. Slip baking sheet into the oven and bake until cookies just begin to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Using pot holders, carefully remove the baking sheet from the oven. Transfer the cookies to cooling racks with a spatula and allow them to cool. Sift a little confectioners’ sugar over the cookies.
