Pass the Plate

Simple and delicious cookies. These are ideal for fun decorating and make great gifts.

Ingredients

• Butter, at room temperature 1 cup 225 g
• Granulated white sugar 1 cup 250 ml
• Egg, beaten 1
• Vanilla extract 1½ tsp 8 ml
• Baking powder 1¼ tsp 6 ml
• Flour 3 cups 750 ml
• Milk or water 2 tbsp 30 ml
  

  You can’t taste the difference whether you use milk or water. I would simply recommend using water if you’re planning on having these around for a while so they’ll keep better.

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.
2. Add the egg and vanilla until just combined.
3. Add the baking powder and flour gradually.
4. Add the milk or water and mix until everything sticks together. If the batter is still very crumbly, add a few more drops gradually and mix well until everything stays in one big lump.
5. Let the batter chill in your refrigerator for at least an hour.
6. Preheat your oven to 375°F / 190°C.
7. Grease a baking sheet.
8. Drop a bit of flour on a large surface and roll your dough out to about ¹⁄₃” / ¾ cm
9. Cut out the dough into shapes and place them about 2” / 5 cm apart on the baking sheet.
   

   Don’t have cookie cutters? Use a glass or a mug to get a nice, round shape. Use a bit of flour on it to make sure the dough doesn’t stick. When pressing the mug or glass to the dough, make sure to twist it a bit to ensure you get all the way through.

10. Bake for 7-10 minutes.
    

    You might worry about the cookies being a little soft and maybe parts still being raw – don’t. At that temperature, you’re killing any bacteria and there’s nothing to worry about. The key to good cookies is that they give a little when you touch them. They’ll harden as they cool.

11. Let cool for about two minutes before removing the cookies from the baking sheet.
12. Let cool completely if you want to decorate these with icing.

Makes about 36 cookies of 3” / 8 cm diameter.