Simple Sugar Cookies

This is my go-to cookie recipe that I can always make from ingredients that I have on hand and I can vary a hundred different ways. I can roll balls of dough in cinnamon-sugar for snickerdoodles, divide the dough and add food coloring before rolling up layers jelly-roll-style for swirly sliced cookies, add sprinkles or chopped pecans, ice the tops…this cookie recipe is a blank canvas. Dough can be made in the food processor and it freezes beautifully.

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: about 1 dozen large cookies

Prep Time: 5 minutes   Cook Time: 15 minutes  

Ingredients

2 sticks butter at room temperature
1 c sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt

Directions

Cream together softened butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla and stir in well. Stir in flour and salt.

Cookies can be made right away by placing rounded spoonfuls of dough onto cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees until edges of cookies just start to turn color.

Alternatively, dough may be refrigerated. Either roll cookies into golf-ball-sized balls before baking or refrigerate dough in a long roll wrapped in wax paper and slice cookies before baking.

Categories: Budget, Cookies & Bars, Desserts, Entertaining, Gift Basket Goodies, Kid-Friendly, Old-Fashioned, Special Occasions

Submitted by: kellyberry on January 25, 2011