Cookie Press Cookies

Cookie Press Cookies

Rich, buttery, and made with lots of vanilla, these cookies are simple to make. Use a cookie press -- a hollow tube fitted with a decorative nozzle at one end and a plunger at the other -- to press the cookies directly onto the baking sheet.

Ingredients

Makes 2 dozen to 3 dozen cookies

• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• 3 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• Colored sanding sugar

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, flour, salt, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly.
2. Fill a cookie press with the dough, and turn out cookies 1 to 2 inches apart onto an unbuttered baking sheet. Sprinkle cookies with colored sanding sugars.
3. Bake until the cookies are lightly browned, 7 to 10 minutes. To ensure even baking, rotate sheet halfway through the baking process. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool.