Holiday Butter Cookies (Butter Scout Cookies!)

1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract or 1/8 to 1 teaspoon other flavoring extract

2 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Combine the sugar, butter, egg yolk, salt, and flavoring, beating until smooth. Add the flour, mixing until smooth. The mixture will seem dry at first, but will suddenly come together. If it doesn't, dribble in a tablespoon of water.

Divide the dough in half, shape each half into a flattened disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 2 hours, or overnight. When you're ready to bake, remove the dough from the refrigerator, and let it soften for about 20 to 30 minutes, until it feels soft enough to roll. It should still feel cold, but shouldn't feel rock-hard.  Heat oven to 350°F.

Sprinkle rolling surface with flour, and flour the rolling pin. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll it 1/8" to 3/16" thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut shapes. Re-roll and cut the dough scraps. Place the cookies on ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheets. They can be close together; they'll barely spread.

Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, until they're set and barely browned around the edges.  Remove the cookies from the oven, and cool right on the pan, or allow to cool for a few minutes on the pan and transfer to a wire rack .

Repeat with the remaining piece of dough, rolling, cutting, and baking cookies. When cookies are completely cool, ice and decorate.

Makes 5 dozen 2" cookies.

From King Arthur Flour