INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup room temperature and soft unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 large whole egg, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- Garnish: sanding sugar or melted chocolate
Procedure:
- Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Set aside.
- Beat together soft butter and white sugar with a stand mixer at medium to high speed until pale and fluffy. Add and beat in the egg and vanilla.
- Reduce mixer speed to low, and slowly add in the flour mixture a tablespoon at a time. Mix only until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Form cookie dough into a 12-inch log, approximately 2 inches in diameter. Simply place the dough on plastic wrap and roll up to form the log. Tie the ends to secure and place the dough in the refrigerator on a baking sheet. Chill dough until firm (about 4 hours).
- Place your oven racks in the middle part of your home or bakery oven and preheat to 375F.
- Cut 1/8- to 1/4-inch-thick slices from your chilled cookie log with a pastry cutter or sharp knife. Make sure you cut enough cookie discs to fill 2 lined large baking sheets.
- Place cookie slices 1 inch apart and sprinkle top with coarse sugar. If coating with melted chocolate, skip the sprinkling step.
- Bake cookies for 6 to 7 minutes, then turn baking sheets 180 degrees to evenly cook all cookies. Bake another 6 to 7 minutes or until edges are golden.
- Remove from oven and let the cookies cool on the sheets for 3 minutes. Remove from the paper and transfer to a cooling rack with the help of a metal spatula. Cool completely before serving or before coating with melted chocolate.
(Butter cookie dough logs can be kept up to 5 days in the refrigerator or longer if frozen. Just wrap in a second layer of plastic wrap before freezing. If frozen, thaw dough in the refrigerator just until it is soft enough to be sliced.)
