Grandma Z's Christmas Butter Cookies

These are super yummy and very rich. They freeze extremely well and can be made up a month ahead of time. They are, however, NOT a low-fat food. :)

1 cup sugar
1 pound butter
4 cups flour
1 tsp vanilla

Cream sugar and butter together then gradually add the flour. When flour is incorporated, add vanilla. Roll out 1/4" thick and cut into desired shapes. You don't want the cookies too big -- keep it simple. I use a round cookie cutter, cut one circle and then overlap the cutter to form two crescents and an oval type shape in the middle. Place on a baking sheet close together (but not touching). Bake at 225 degrees for 1 hour. Immediately glaze hot cookies.

Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp butter
1/8 tsp salt
2 1/2 Tbsp cream

Cream together and apply with fingers to hot butter cookies.

Grandma Weld's Cookies

I'm not a fan of butter cookies, so these weren't my favorite... but I'd imagine if you like butter cookies you'll love these!!

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-2 teaspoons pure almond extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup miniature chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, then beat in flour, almond extract to taste, and salt. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour.

Heat oven to 300. Shape 1/2 tablespoon amounts of dough into 1 1/2 -inch-long "fingers" and place them on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake cookies 1 sheet at a time in middle of oven for 20 to 25 minutes, watching carefully and breaking open a couple of cookies to check for doneness. The cookies should be firm to the touch and cooked through, but not brown; the bottoms should only be golden. Cook cookies on racks and store them in an an airtight container, where they will keep for 2 weeks but will vanish long before that!

from Wonder time magazine; December/January 2008