Butter Cookies and a Lemon Glaze

Knowing a good butter recipe is like opening a door to endless opportunities. This recipe can be used to make Jam Sandwiches, chocolate-nutty-any-how-you-like bar cookies, and is easily molded to become any shape you'd like to use to present your delicious treats! I've been flattening out the balls of dough and adding a lemon glaze on top. I'm positive you already have all the ingredients in your kitchen! (Lemon glazed cookies on the right.)

Butter Cookie Dough:

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 cups superfine sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still cool, cut into sixteen pieces

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the flour, sugar and salt at low speed until just combined, about 5 seconds. With the mixer on low, add the butter, one piece at a time; continue to mix until mixer looks crumbly and slightly wet, about 1 minute longer. Add the vanilla and cream cheese and mix on low until the dough just begins to form large clumps, about 30 seconds.

2. Knead the dough by hand in the bowl for 2 or 3 turns to form a large, cohesive mass. Turn the dough out onto the countertop; divide in half , pat each into a 4-inch disk, wrap the disks in plastic, and refrigerate until they begin to firm up, 20-30 minutes. (The disks can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 weeks; defrost in the refrigerator before using.)

3. Cut/mold the dough into desired shape and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake for about 10 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway, until lightly golden brown at 375 degrees. Cool the cookies to room temperature on a wire rack.

Lemon Glaze:

1 tablespoon cream cheese, at room temperature

2-3 tablespoons milk

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Whisk cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of the milk in a medium bowl until just combined and no lumps remain. Whisk in confectioners' sugar until smooth, adding the remaining milk as needed until glaze is thin enough to spread on easily. Drizzle a scant teaspoon of the glaze onto each cooled cookie, or spread it on with the back of a spoon.

Some things I've learned with this recipe is to truly take it out right when it's lightly golden brown. I feel that the cookie is much softer, fluffier and retains more moisture. Also, I've tried the recipe with granulated sugar, which made the cookie seems more sweet, and with confectioners' sugar (as the recipe calls for), creating a less sweet version of the cookie. Again, I love the flexibility of this recipe and I hope you all enjoy it as well! Happy cooking!

(Recipe found in "The New Best Recipe" cookbook)