Butter Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Method

1 Cream the butter in a large mixing bowl, gradually add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
2 Combine the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture.
3 For all the types of cookie shapes preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) before baking. Bake all cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet.
4 Shape the dough in one of the following ways:
Roll out the chilled dough and cut with cookie cutters. Sprinkle with colored sugar if desired. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes.
OR Form dough into logs 2 inches in diameter and slice 1/8 inch thick when chilled. Sprinkle with chopped nuts, if desired, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes.
OR Shape into balls and bake. Balls may be rolled in sugar mixed with cinnamon if desired. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
OR Put unchilled dough into a cookie press and press into desired shapes chill shaped cookies before baking. Bake chilled cookies for 8 to 10 minutes.
OR Add 1 cup chopped walnuts and 1/2 cup flour to dough. Chill then shape into balls and bake for 8-10 minutes. Roll still warm cookies in confectioners' sugar. Once cool sprinkle chilled cookies with more confectioners' sugar.

Makes 96 servings