XXIV: Holiday Butter Cookies with Variations

This is a simple recipe from the Somerset County Magazine that supplies differing flavor variations to mix it all up. You've got to love Christmas cookies :)

1 c softened butter
1 c sugar
1 large egg
2 t vanilla
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 t baking powder

Preheat oven to 375*. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Sift in flour and baking powder and stir until well combined. If the dough is too soft to work with, refrigerate for one hour to until firm.

To make drop cookies:
Drop large marble-size chunks of dough from a spoon or mini ice cream scoop, then flatten with the bottom of a drinking glass.

To make slicing cookies:
Form dough into logs, about 1 inch wide. Place log on a piece of wax or parchment paper and roll up tightly, twisting ends to close. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. The dough will keep like this for up to 10 days in the refrigerator. To bake, slice logs into 1/4 in thick rounds and flatten as above. Place cookies 1.5 inches apart on a cookie sheet that is either lightly greased or lined with parchment paper. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned along the edges.

Variations:
Butterscotch cookies - substitute 1 c brown sugar for white sugar in main recipe and add 2/3 cup chopped pecans

Chocolate peppermint cookies - substitute 1 t of pure peppermint extract for 1 t of vanilla extract in main recipe. Melt 2 oz of good-quality chocolate w/ 1 T of butter in the microwave on low for 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring to combine. Spread melted chocolate on cooled cookies and sprinkle with crushed candy canes.

Orange cookies - add 2 T finely grated orange zest and 2 T of orange juice concentrate to the wet ingredients of the main recipe. The mixture will look curdled at this point, but don't worry. Place unbaked cookies 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. If you'd like to decorate, mix 1/2 c powdered sugar with 2 t orange juice concentrate. Spread on cooled cookies and allow to dry.

Spice cookies - Combine 2 T molasses with the wet ingredients of the main recipe. Sift in 1 t ground cinnamon, 1 t ground ginger, 1/4 t ground nutmeg, 1/4 t ground allspice to the dry ingredients.