ITALIAN BUTTER COOKIES

8 oz. butter or margarine, room temperature
1/2 cup (4 1/2 oz.) sugar
3 egg yolks
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups plus 2 tbsp. (10 oz.) flour

Cream butter and sugar 5 minutes at medium speed with electric mixer.

Add egg yolks and vanilla. Mix till blended.

Add flour and mix on low speed.

Pipe dough with bag onto ungreased baking sheet into rosettes with #7 star tube.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 7-10 minutes.

VARIATION:
Shape dough into 1-inch balls, place on baking sheet and flatten slightly with hands. Top with colored jimmies.

ROSETTE CHOCOLATE FROSTING

2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) margarine, softened
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. milk

Sift confectioner's sugar and cocoa powder together; set aside.

Cream butter. Beat 1 cup of the sugar mixture into butter. Add vanilla. Add remaining sugar, mixing alternately with milk.

After cookies have cooled, pipe a large rosette (#4 tube) in center of cookie. Let frosting set before storing.

FOR YELLOW OR PINK FROSTING:
You may use yellow or pink frosting rosettes by eliminating cocoa powder and increasing confectioner's sugar another 2/3 cup or more if needed, till obtaining proper piping consistency, and adding desired color.

Makes approximately 41 cookies

Source: The Italian Bakery by Lee Mangione Cirillo