Recipe: Bakeshop Butter Cookies (cookie press or slice-and-bake)

BAKESHOP BUTTER COOKIES
"This is our family's favorite cookie - tender, irresistible, and rich with Heartland butter. It's so beloved by everyone, in fact, that even my childhood dog Jiggs had a thing for them. (He infamously snarfed a batch of these, leaving nothing but incriminating dog drool on the plate.) This versatile dough can be tinted and then pressed into any shape the occasion demands - flowers, Christmas trees, hearts, swirls; or roll it into a log and then in a bed of colored or chocolate sprinkles or poppy seeds, and finally cut it into rounds to bake. Add a little dot of confectioners' sugar icing, if you like. Store in airtight containers for up to 2 weeks."


1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
Food coloring (if desired)
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar, vanilla, and food coloring together until light and fluffy.

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Beat the flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, into the butter mixture until you have a smooth, thick dough.

Divide the dough in half. Place one-half in a cookie press. Press the cookies out onto a prepared baking sheet, about 1-inch apart. Repeat with the other half of the dough. (Or roll it into a log and then in a bed of colored or chocolate sprinkles or poppy seeds, and finally cut it into rounds to bake.)

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until slightly golden but not brown. Let cool on wire racks.

Makes about 36 cookies
Adapted from source: Heartland: The Cookbook by Judith Fertig