Ingredients
Method
- Place the butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Cream with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes or until light and fluffy.
- Add the flour to the creamed mixture a half cup at a time, and stir with a wooden spoon to form a soft, sticky dough.
- Either place the dough in a covered container or cover it with plastic wrap. You could also seal it in a plastic storage bag. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or until chilled and firm.
- Lightly sprinkle a clean flat surface with flour. Place the dough on top and flatten with a rolling pin to a 1/4-inch thickness.
- Using a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass, cut shapes into the flattened dough. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet about an inch apart. Gather up the excess dough and roll it out again to make more cookies.
- With a fork, poke some small holes in the top of the dough to keep iy from blistering. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are light golden brown. Cool for a minute before removing the cookies from the sheet with a spatula. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
This is one of my favorite cookies. I love them especially during the holidays. Lorna Doones are a good, marketed shortbread cookie as are Walkers.
Other options for baking are Instead of rolling out the dough in Step 4, press it into a 9-inch pie or cake pan. Score the dough with a sharp knife so the cookies will be easy to cut once baked. And poke holes in the dough with a fork to keep it from blistering as it bakes.
Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until light golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes, then cut along the scored lines and remove the cookies from the pan.