gingerbread cookies

Sugar cookies are my thing. I love my recipe and I love to decorate them with fancy piped designs using royal icing. Oddly enough, they are more of a Valentine's Day tradition than a Christmas cookie, but I do like to pipe some trees, snowflakes, and occasionally mini-houses to perch on coffee cups.

My roommate is a gingerbread cookie girl. She likes to make gingerbread men for all the kids in her life and pipe designs or names onto them. I love her gingerbread cookie recipe and have adopted it as my own. It is easy to work with and has a great flavor!

GINGERBREAD COOKIES (makes 2-4 dozen, depending on size)

3 cups flour
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp salt
¾ cup butter, softened
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup molasses
1 egg

MIX flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add molasses and egg; beat well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Press dough into a thick, flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Roll out the dough to ¼ inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut into desired shapes.

BAKE on cookie sheet 7-10 minutes. Shorter times will produce softer cookies; longer times for crispy cookies. Cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to wire rack to finish cooling. Decorate as desired.

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pumpkin spice honey cookies with white chocolate chips

A friend pinned this recipe on pinterest. It does not have any pumpkin, which I appreciate because pumpkin tends to ruin the texture of a cookie. I added white chocolate chips to complement the spices. I also upped the dry ingredients from two cups to three cups because my first batch was too sticky and the dough spread to be thin and flat as they baked, despite being chilled for quite some time. I chose to add a mixture of additional flour and some oats, but you could also just use three cups of flour and skip oats. This cookie is a great autumn treat.

PUMPKIN SPICE HONEY COOKIES WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIPS
adapted from Averie Cooks

½ cup butter, softened
¾ cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
¼ cup honey
2 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1 Tbsp cinnamon, ½ Tbsp ginger, ¼ tsp cloves, ¼ tsp nutmeg)
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 ¼ cups flour
¾ cup oats
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking soda
pinch salt (optional)
4 oz white chocolate chips

CREAM butter and sugar together with stand mixer for five or more minutes, until well-creamed, light, and fluffy. If using a hand mixer, beat longer. If using a fork, get ready for some exercise! Do not shortcut the creaming process; make sure the dough is very light in color and fluffy. Add egg and beat for a few more minutes.

ADD honey, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla. Beat on medium-high for about two minutes, until smooth. Add flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined. Stir in white chocolate chips. Chill dough for at least four hours.

DROP by large mounds onto silicone-lined cookie sheets. Bake at 350°F for 9-12 minutes depending on size of cookies. Edges should be set and tops just starting to set. Cookie will firm up as it cools. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for about five minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

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cardamom almond biscotti

I like to make biscotti. It's really quite easy. These have great flavor, but also go well with coffee or tea.

My mom made these biscotti when I was at my parents' house for Christmas in 2011 (the first time since university). I couldn't get enough of them! Have I mentioned yet that I like biscotti?

CARDAMOM ALMOND BISCOTTI (makes 5-6 dozen)

1 cup butter, softened
1¾ cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp almond extract
5¼ cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 cup sour cream
1 cup chopped almonds

CREAM butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in extract. Combine flour, salt, baking soda and cardamom; add to the creamed mixture, alternating with sour cream. Fold in almonds.

DIVIDE dough into fourths; shape each portion into a ball. On two greased baking sheets, roll each ball into a 15 inch log (two logs per pan)

BAKE at 350°F for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and firm to the touch. Transfer to a cutting board; cut diagonally with a sharp knife into ½ in slices. Bake biscotti an additional 10 minutes or until crispy. Remove biscotti from baking sheet; cool completely on wire rack.

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chocolate chip cookies

I saw these cookies on pinterest. The picture was pretty, the description was emphatic, but I'm not yet sold on pinterest for recipes. Great for ideas, but it doesn't have the same quality standard for recipes that I've come to expect from my favorite bloggers. Still, a great picture lures me. This picture of chocolate chip cookies was worth peeking into the recipe. Lo and behold the ingredients were all in my kitchen, so I made a batch. I like them, a lot. Some people love them. I'm not ready for that level of commitment. I grew up on oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, so there's something comforting about that recipe, but these will now be my standard for the non-oatmeal variety.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
from Apple a Day

¾ cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar (Korean light brown, or ¾ brown and ¼ white)
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup (bittersweet) chocolate chips

CREAM butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Stir into wet ingredients, then stir in chocolate chips.

DROP by rounded teaspoonfuls onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes. Cookies will only be slightly golden brown on the edges, but do not cook longer than 10 minutes.

COOL on the cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes, then on a wire rack.

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no bakes

Did you know I didn't have a recipe for no bakes on this site? I didn't, until Sunday, when I went looking for the recipe on this, my online recipe box, and had to turn to one of those generic, billion recipe sites instead.

Perhaps it is because I can count the number of times I've made no bakes on one hand.

I was first exposed to no bakes during college. What gooey chewy goodness! I only remember making them once during those four years, at a friend's house, and she didn't measure the ingredients. Well, no bakes are fairly easy, but not very forgiving. That batch did not turn out very well.

As most recipes point out, it is critical to time the process, starting from when the mixture reaches a full rolling boil. If you boil too long or too short, your cookies don't form properly.

NO BAKES
makes 2-3 dozen

1 ¾ cups sugar
½ cup milk
½ cup butter
4 Tbsp cocoa
½ cup peanut butter
3 cups oats
1 tsp vanilla

COMBINE sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, cooking for 1 ½ minutes once it reaches a full boil.

REMOVE from heat. Stir in peanut butter, oats, and vanilla.

DROP by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper or silicone sheets. Let cool until hardened.

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inside-out peanut butter cups

When I found this recipe on Baking Bites, I was excited by the simple and easily available ingredients that results in a unique peanut butter/chocolate treat. In making it, I found the instructions difficult, especially because I haven’t followed them exactly. I do not have mini-muffin pans so I used my silicone muffin cups. I also found I preferred less cookie coating and more chocolate filling. Lastly, my peanut butter cups didn’t brown well on the bottom and sides, so I inverted them onto a cookie sheet and baked for a few additional minutes. This recipe is thus slightly altered.

INSIDE-OUT PEANUT BUTTER CUPS
altered from Baking Bites

for the cookie dough
1 1/3 cups flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup peanut butter, smooth or crunchy

for the chocolate center
6 oz milk or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 Tbsp heavy cream

CREAM butter and sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla, followed by peanut butter. Slowly add mixture of flour, baking soda, and salt, until dough comes together. Place on wax paper and shape into a rough, large log. Wrap with waxed paper and chill for at least 2 hours. Combine cream and chocolate in a small, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium for 20-30 seconds, then stir well. Repeat until chocolate has completely melted. Chill for 20 minutes, until firm but still easy to scoop. Shape into 20 flattened balls (short cylinder, like a stack of a few quarters---mine were .45 oz each). Chill until ready to use.

REMOVE cookie dough from fridge. Cut the log in half lengthwise, then make 10 horizontal cuts to slice the dough into 20 even pieces. Each piece should be semi-circle in shape. Press each piece into a silicone muffin cup, molding around the outside to create a thin layer of cookie along the bottom and sides. Place one chocolate in the center, then push the dough around it to completely cover the chocolate. Cookie will only fill the cup half or two-thirds full.

BAKE at 350°F for about 18 minutes, until the top begins to brown lightly. Remove from oven. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then remove from silicone and invert onto a cookie sheet. Bake again, upside, for an additional 3-8 minutes, until bottom and sides are slightly browned.

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royal icing

Christmas 2005, I came home to a wonderful surprise—my mom had learned how to make royal icing! The possibilities for sugar cookies were limitless. While we made our fair share of Christmas sugar cookies, complete with intricate designs, I was most excited to make my Valentine’s Day sugar cookies and pipe patterns on the hearts. Polka dots, stripes, plaid, swirls. You name it, we could pipe it.

Flash forward a few years. I forgot to bring meringue powder to China. Thankfully, the same family friend who taught my mom how to make royal icing mailed some to me in a package. The recipe below makes a lot of icing. If you only have a few dozen cookies, or don’t need many colors, consider halving the recipe.

(While you can make royal icing with raw egg whites, I prefer meringue powder for convenience and safety.)

ROYAL ICING

1 lb powdered sugar, sifted
3 Tbsp meringue powder
½ cup warm water
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
Gel food coloring

COMBINE dry ingredients. Add water and extract.

BEAT for 7-10 minutes.

DIVIDE into bowls for colors. Add gel food coloring to each bowl. Icing will be very stiff. Dilute with a few drops of water until thin enough to pipe comfortably. To flood cookies with icing, dilute further.

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peanut butter blossoms

These all-American cookies are a classic at Christmas time. When I was in England, I made them as a treat for my coworkers with Kisses I brought in my suitcase. The Hershey’s Kisses in China are a different chocolate so they don’t hold their shape as well, but the overall taste of the cookie is still good.

PEANUT BUTTER BLOSSOMS

48 Hershey’s Kisses
½ cup shortening
¾ cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
additional sugar

BEAT shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

SHAPE dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

BAKE at 375°F for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

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chocolate pinwheels

These cookies are a beautiful twist on the classic taste of chocolate chip cookies. It can be helpful to have a friend around when you are making the cookies, particularly for spreading the melted chocolate and rolling the dough. Experiment with different knives when you cut the dough. If the pinwheels separate a little, press them back together. They will form together when they bake.

CHOCOLATE PINWHEELS (makes 9 dozen)
from Taste of Home

dough:
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
¼ cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt

filling:
2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 Tbsp butter
¼ tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

CREAM butter and sugars. Add egg and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy. Combine dry ingredients; beat into creamed mixture. Divide dough in half; place each half between two sheets of waxed paper. Roll into 12 in x 10 in rectangles. Chill until almost firm, about 30 minutes.

MELT melt chips and butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add vanilla and salt; mix well. Spread over dough. Carefully roll up each rectangle into a tight jelly roll; wrap in waxed paper. Place in a paper towel roll, sliced open lengthwise. Chill for 2 hours or until firm.

CUT into 1/8in slices with a sharp thin knife; place on greased or parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake at 350°F for 7-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.

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crispy chocolate chip pumpkin cookies

I had a roommate in college that loved chocolate chip pumpkin cookies. I thought they were ok. I ate a few of hers, then made them one time in China, but I just wasn’t a fan. They were the wrong consistency for a cookie. Call it a muffin and I’d be happy. But a cookie?

Then I found this recipe on Guilty Kitchen. Just her description of the issues with traditional pumpkin cookies (the cakey texture!) and her multiple attempts to make the perfect recipe made me realize I had to try her cookies. Even if they required making pumpkin butter. So here is the recipe, in all its tasty glory. It is worth every minute you spend stirring the pumpkin butter on the stove. The texture is perfect!

CRISPY CHOCOLATE CHIP PUMPKIN COOKIES (makes 3 or more dozen)
from Guilty Kitchen

1 cup butter
1 ¼ cups brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin butter
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
2 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cardamon
½ tsp grated nutmeg
¼ tsp ginger
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp orange zest
1 ½ cups dark chocolate chips or chunks
fine grain sea salt, such as pink Himalayan (optional)

CREAM butter and sugar in medium sized bowl. Add egg, vanilla and pumpkin butter. Mix well.

MIX dry ingredients in separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Add to wet and stir to combine. Stir in orange zest and chocolate chips and set in refrigerator for 1 hour.

DROP cookies onto cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt before baking if desired. Bake at 350°F for 15-18 minutes.

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peanut butter cookies

I found this recipe in the Shenyang Cookbook during my first few months in China. I like that it could be made with margarine, which is often cheaper than butter. I’ve made it with butter a few times now, but I like the consistency better with margarine. I also prefer to use a thick Chinese peanut butter rather than a smooth, thinner Creamy Skippy.

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
From the Shenyang Cookbook

½ cup butter or margarine, softened
½ cup peanut butter
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla
1 ¼ cup flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
additional sugar for rolling

BEAT butters in a large mixing bowl. Add sugars, scraping the sides. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Gradually add to wet ingredients. (You may need to stir the last bit by hand.) If desired, cover and chill dough until easy to handle.

SHAPE dough into 1 inch balls. Roll in additional sugar to coat. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten by making crisscross marks with a fork.

BAKE at 375°F for 7-9 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned.

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oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

Chocolate chip cookies are classic American home-baked food. I’ve had many cookies over the years, and though I enjoy most, there’s something about the recipe my mom used that just hits the spot.

Growing up, we always had oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. My mom figured that the oatmeal would at least make it a little healthier! If it’s not what you grew up with, you might not love it as much, but I think these cookies will still please almost all who taste them.

OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1 cup butter, softened
1 ¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla
1 ¾ cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2 ½ cup oatmeal
12 oz chocolate chips

CREAM butter and sugars in a large bowl. Add eggs, milk, and vanilla.

MIX flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Gradually add to wet ingredients. When combined, stir in oatmeal, then chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls 2 inches apart on cookie sheets

BAKE at 375°F for 9-10 minutes.

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white chocolate cranberry cookies

White chocolate and cranberry has quickly become my favorite, relatively cheap, go-to flavor combination for something slightly fancy. (White chocolate dove bars and metro cranberries, that is.) I saw this recipe on Baking Bites and thought it would be perfect for a Christmas Cookie Exchange that I hosted at a friend’s house.

WHITE CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY COOKIES (makes 3 dozen)
from Baking Bites

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
¾ cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 oz white chocolate, melted and cooled
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup dried cranberries
2/3 cup chopped white chocolate or chips

CREAM butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg, followed by melted white chocolate and vanilla extract. Gradually incorporate the flour mixture (flour, baking soda, and salt, mixed in a small bowl), stirring until no streaks of dry ingredients remain. Add dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.

SHAPE dough into 1-inch balls and place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving about 2-inches between each cookie to allow for spread.

BAKE at 350°F for 10-12 minutes, until cookies turn lightly golden around the edges. Allow to cool on baking sheet for 3-4 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

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gingerbread biscotti

After my success with biscotti in the past few years, I've begun searching out other varieties. This recipe is especially great for the holidays.

GINGERBREAD BISCOTTI (makes 3 dozen)

1/3 cup oil
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
¼ cup molasses
3 ¼ cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 ½ Tbsp ground ginger
¾ Tbsp ground cinnamon
½ Tbsp ground cloves
¼ tsp ground nutmeg

MIX oil, sugar, eggs, and molasses. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Mix into wet ingredients.

DIVIDE dough in half and shape each half into a roll the length of the cookie sheet. Place rolls on greased cookie sheet and pat down to flatten dough to ½ inch thickness.

BAKE at 375°F for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Cut diagonally into ½ inch thick slices. Carefully stand slices upright on baking sheet. Bake biscotti an additional 15 minutes or until crispy. Remove biscotti from baking sheet; cool completely on wire rack.

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cranberry white chocolate biscotti

After my first success with biscotti, I decided to research a few more recipes. This recipe is from Cooking Light or Southern Living (they have a combined database of recipes online). Following the advice of previous visitors who left comments, I modified the ingredient list and the procedure, making it more similar to the procedure for the double chocolate biscotti.

CRANBERRY WHITE CHOCOLATE BISCOTTI (makes 3 dozen)

2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
½ cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup white chocolate chips or chunks
2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs
Cooking spray

COMBINE flour, sugar, cranberries, white chocolate, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Combine oil, vanilla, and eggs in a large bowl. Add flour mixture to egg mixture; stir with a fork or spoon until well blended.

DIVIDE dough in half. Turn dough out onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. With floured hands, shape each dough half into a 12-inch-long roll; pat to 1 inch thickness.

BAKE at 350°F for 35 minutes. Remove rolls from baking sheet; cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. Cut each roll diagonally into 18 (½ inch) slices. Carefully stand slices upright on baking sheet. Bake biscotti an additional 15 minutes or until almost firm (biscotti will be slightly soft in center but will harden as they cool). Remove biscotti from baking sheet; cool completely on wire rack.

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double chocolate biscotti

I came across this recipe while looking for a "light" dessert to bring to a friend's house. I don't know the exact nutritional information, though you might be able to find it if you search for the recipe on the Cooking Light website. The cookies don't taste light! The dough is quite sticky, but stick with it! The end result is great with a warm beverage.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BISCOTTI (makes 3 dozen)

1 ½ cups flour
1 cup sugar
½ cup unsweetened cocoa
½ cup semisweet chocolate minichips
(feel free to substitute full-sized, milk chocolate, or chopped dove bars)
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 large egg white

COMBINE flour and next 6 ingredients (through salt) in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine vanilla, eggs, and egg white in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture to egg mixture; stir with a fork or spoon until well blended.

DIVIDE dough in half. Turn dough out onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. With floured hands, shape each dough half into a 12-inch-long roll; pat to 1/2-inch thickness.

BAKE at 350°F for 22 minutes. Remove rolls from baking sheet; cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. Cut each roll diagonally into 18 (½ inch) slices. Carefully stand slices upright on baking sheet. Bake biscotti an additional 15 minutes or until almost firm (biscotti will be slightly soft in center but will harden as they cool). Remove biscotti from baking sheet; cool completely on wire rack.

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lauren's oatmeal cookies

Have you ever made 100 dozen cookies? I have. Now, I did have help, and I used industrial ovens over three afternoons, but I was a little shocked when my roommate volunteered us to make 1200 cookies for a school soccer tournament. I happened to stumble upon this recipe at the bottom of a childhood friend's newsletter back in July 2009. The first time I made it in mass was the next month for a staff welcome back barbeque at the beach. I think I made 4 or 6 batches then. The soccer tournament in spring 2010 required 25 batches.

This recipe is great for China because it uses oil, not butter. If you use Chinese brown sugar, be certain to half it with white sugar.

LAUREN’S OATMEAL COOKIES (makes 4 dozen cookies)

2 cups brown sugar
1 cup oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 ½ cups flour
3 cups oatmeal
1 cup raisins (optional)
Powdered sugar (for rolling)

MIX wet ingredients (first four). Combine baking powder, baking soda, flour, oatmeal, and oatmeal in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, a little at a time.

FORM 1 inch balls and roll in powdered sugar.

BAKE at 350°F for 8-10 minutes.

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scandinavian almond bars

I found this recipe in December 2004 when I was looking to make some Christmas cookies. After pulling many recipes from Taste of Home, my mom, in her baking expertise, selected some that seemed more feasible or scrumptious. These were a true winner and have become a staple in our family.

When I make these cookies for an event, people often refer to them as biscotti. While they are long cookies cut diagonally, like biscotti, I would contend that they are not biscotti. Just a cookie that pairs nicely with coffee and tea.


SCANDINAVIAN ALMOND BARS (makes 4 dozen cookies)

½ cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
½ tsp almond extract
1 ¾ cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 Tbsp milk
½ cup sliced almonds, chopped

glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
¼ tsp almond extract
1-2 Tbsp milk

CREAM butter and sugar in a mixing bowl; beat in egg and extract. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture and mix well.

DIVIDE dough into fourths; form into 12in x 3 inch parallelograms. Place 5 inches apart on greased baking sheets (or lined with parchment paper). Brush with milk; sprinkle with almonds.

BAKE at 325°F for 18 - 20 minutes or until firm to the touch and edges are lightly browned. Cool on pans for 5 minutes, then cut diagonally into 1 inch slices. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Combine icing ingredients; drizzle over bars.

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sugar cookies

My mom and I found this recipe for roll-out sugar cookies in an issue of Family Fun when I was in middle school. The cookies do not spread so they hold their shape nicely. Sometimes I decorate them with a simple tinted glaze, made of milk, powdered sugar, food dye, and a few drops of vanilla. At the holidays (usually Christmas and Valentine's Day), I prefer to make royal icing and create intricate designs on the cookies.

SUGAR COOKIES (makes 2-4 dozen, depending on size)

3 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 Tbsp light corn syrup
1 Tbsp vanilla or almond extract

MIX flour and salt in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Stir in the egg, corn syrup and vanilla. One third at a time, stir in flour mixture. Pat the dough into 2 discs, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Preheat oven to 375°F.

ROLL out the dough to ¼ inch thickness. It helps to roll it between 2 pieces of wax paper. Cut into desired shapes.

BAKE on cookie sheet 8-10 minutes. Remove from sheet and allow to cool. Decorate as desired.

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