All-purpose Butter Cookies

Cooking Instructions

1. Cream butter, sugar and salt with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add yolk, beat well, then add whole egg and vanilla; continue beating until well incorporated. Add flour and beat on low speed until flour is just mixed. Divide dough in half and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour. (Dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or double-wrapped and frozen for up to 1 month.)

2. Adjust oven racks to upper and lower-middle positions and preheat oven to 375F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove one disk of dough from refrigerator and cut in half. Return unused portion to refrigerator. Lightly flour work surface; roll dough to 1/8 inch thick, using a spatula to loosen dough and lightly sprinkling work surface with flour as needed. Using a cookie cutter, cut dough into desired shapes. Place 1/2 inch apart on cookie sheets. Or form dough into balls, using about 1 tbsp for each, and flatten with a greased bottom of a glass, dipped in flour from time to time.

3. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through baking, until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Use a thin-bladed spatula to transfer them immediately to a cooling rack. Cool to room temperature. Repeat rolling, cutting and baking with remaining dough. Decorate cooled cookies, if desired, and transfer to an airtight container where they can be stored for up to 3 weeks.