Butter Cookies

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

My Nana was quite a baker, as I found out while I was writing Cherries in Winter: My Family’s Recipe for Hope in Hard Times. But these simple, delicious cookies became a staple around my house precisely because I’m not a whiz in the kitchen! They’re a perfect “basic” cookie—they’re easy to make and great with tea at mid-morning or in the afternoon, or as dessert. Around the holidays, they make a lovely, inexpensive gift when you put them in a pretty tin.

ingredients

1 1/2 sticks butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
A pinch of salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

directions

1
In a medium-sized bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat egg, sugar, and vanilla; then add butter to egg and sugar mixture and beat until light and fluffy. Add to dry ingredients and mix until blended. At this point you may also add 1/2 cup of coarsely chopped walnuts.
2
Divide cookie dough into two parts and roll in wax paper. Freeze overnight, or at least 4 hours. With a serrated knife, carefully cut frozen dough into slices about 1/4 inch thick. Bake on cookie sheet for 10 to 12 minutes at 350 degrees.