Dorie Greenspans Sugar Cookies Bon Appetit December 2007 Recipes

Steps:

• All of the shortbreads are made in the same manner using an electric mixer. If you're making a shortbread with two kinds of flour, whisk the flours together.
• Working in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter, confectioners' sugar, salt and zest, if using, together on medium speed until soft, creamy and homogenous, scraping the bowl as needed. One by one, beat in the yolks, followed by the vanilla.
• Turn off the mixer, add the flour(s) all at once and mix on low speed only until incorporated. If you've got wheat germ, chocolate or flax seeds or nuts, mix in now.
• Scrape the dough out onto the work surface and divide it in two; the dough will be soft and sticky. Put each piece on a sheet of parchment and cajole it into a log that's 6 to 6 1⁄2 inches long, tightening the log with the paper and twisting the ends. Refrigerate the logs for at least 3 hours (overnight is better) or freeze them for 2 hours. (The logs can be frozen for up 2 months; slice when they're still frozen. You might need to add a minute to the oven time.)
• When you're ready to bake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.
• Using a chef's knife, cut each log into 1⁄2-inch-thick rounds. Lay them out on the baking sheet, leaving about an inch between them.
• Bake, rotating the cookie sheet after 10 minutes, for 21 to 23 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown around the edges and set. The cookies will still be soft, so leave them on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack and allowing them to cool to room temperature. DO AHEAD: The cookies can be packed in an airtight container and kept at room temperature for at least 5 days.

Steps:

• Cream together the butter, sugar and salt in a mixer fitter with the paddle attachment, until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, beat until well blended, about 1 minute and then add vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add flour and beat on a low speed until just combined. Gather dough into a ball;divide in half. Form each into a flattened disk and wrap in plastic, chill for at least 3 hours. It ca be made up to 2 days ahead. Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper. Working with one disk at a time, roll out dough between two sheets of wax paper to 1/8″ thin. (I didn't have any so I rolled mine out on a lightly floured counter and it was just great. I had to add flour when it seemed that the cookie dough might stick to the counter or rolling pin.) Use cookie cutters, cut out cookies and transfer to a cookie sheet, spacing 1 inch apart. Gather any scraps, roll them out until all the dough is used. If not using icing then decorated with sprinkles before baking. Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are firm and golden around the edges, about 10 minutes for smaller cookies and up to 14 minutes for larger ones. Cook completely on rack. Decorate with Royal icing, sprinkles or other decorations. Let stand until icing sets. FOR ROYAL ICING: Use electric mixer, beat 3 1/4 cups powdered sugar, egg whites & lemon juice until thick & shiny. Add more powdered sugar by the tablespoon if it is too thin to spread, about 3 min. Cover w/ wet towel until use. Fill parchment pastry bag with ~3tblsps of icing. Consistency should be soft enough to pipe but firm enough to hold its shape, like soft mashed potatoes. Cut very small hole at the tip of the bag and draw an outline around the cookie. Separate the icing into little bowls for food coloring. Thin out some icing to flood - make it consistency of molasses. Decorate.