Butter Cookies

The original title was Butter Cookies You'd Eat in a Dream, aptly named. These are intensely buttery. Dough needs no chilling, rolling or cutting, is easy to handle. The cookies spread little, keep well airtight.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
    plus more for rolling cookies
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dash of salt if you use unsalted butter

Heat oven to 300 degrees F.

Cream butter and 1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar. Stirring, add flour a little at a time, then vanilla extract and salt. Roll dough into small balls the size of a walnut. Roll balls in sugar. Flatten with cookie stamp or bottom of glass (or leave as is for a round, slightly domed cookie). Put onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until edges are lightly browned, 17 to 20 minutes.

Yield: about three dozen

Source: Agnes Da Costa, Chicago Tribune