Best Ever Butter Cookies

Well if you know me the name says it all BUTTER. These are some of the best cookies I have ever tasted. I usually only make them at Christmas time but I was in the baking mood and had everything I needed to make them in the kitchen. The best part is (other than the fact they are delicious) that they are very simple to make and with ingredients that most who bake will have on hand.


Cookies:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 1/2 cups flour
2 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoon vanilla (yes that sounds like a lot but its not overwhelming)
1 teaspoon baking powder

Frosting:
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup vanilla
2 to 3 tablespoons milk

Combine sugar and butter and egg in large bowl. Beat at medium speed until creamy.
Reduce speed to low; add flour water and vanilla and baking powder. Beat until well mixed.

Here's my first tip. Before adding the flour and powder whisk them together in a bowl, that way the baking powder is thoroughly distributed. Same with the vanilla. I always mix the vanilla in with the water before adding.

Divide the dough into thirds and wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

This is what the instructions say to do:
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out dough on lightly flours surface, one third at a time, keeping the other thirds refrigerated, to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with 3 inch cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 6 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool completely.

This is what I say to do:
Heat oven to 300 degrees. I don't roll mine out and cut them with a cookie cutter. I wrap the entire dough ball in plastic, forming it into a log shape. I refrigerate over night, but it can be kept longer up to 3 days. When I'm ready to make the cookies I preheat the oven, line my cookie sheets with foil and lightly spray them with cooking spray. I don't take the dough out until the oven and the pans are ready. When I do take it out I quickly unwrap the dough and cut it (the entire log of dough) in to slices 1/4 inch thick. I place them 1 inch apart on the cookie sheets and bake them for 10 to 12 minutes. With the remaining dough I separate the slices and lay them flat side by side on the plastic wrap, they will come to room temp very quickly and become misshapen if you skip this step. I let them cool for 5 minutes in the pan before removing them.

For the frosting:
Combine powdered sugar, vanilla, and butter in medium bowl. Beat at low speed, gradually adding milk for desired spreading consistency.

My tips
Combine sugar and butter and beat. Add vanilla to the first 2 TBSP of milk. Add milk and vanilla to sugar, beat. Add milk 1 TBSP at a time until you reach desired consistency, I used 4 this time some times I use 5 or more.

I really hope you like these cookies as much as we do.