French Butter Cookies Recipes

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter and light-brown sugar; beat on high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla, and mix to combine. Add flour and salt, and mix on low speed until flour is incorporated.
• Roll dough into three 1 1/2-inch-diameter logs. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. Roll cookie log in sugar, coating it evenly, and slice into 1/4-inch rounds. Place cookies on baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Using a cake tester or toothpick, make 4 decorative holes in each cookie. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool completely on wire racks.

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in 2 egg yolks and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour and salt. Divide dough into 2 portions; shape each into a disk. Cover; refrigerate until firm enough to roll, about 30 minutes., Preheat oven to 350°. Working with 1 portion of dough at a time, roll to 1/4-in. thickness between parchment. Cut with floured 2-in. round cookie cutter. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Whisk remaining egg yolk and water; brush over cookies. Create a cross-hatch design by dragging the tines of a fork across the cookie., Bake until edges are light golden, 12-15 minutes. Cool on pans 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Butter and flour 12 (3 inch) madeleine molds; set aside.
• Melt butter and let cool to room temperature.
• In a small mixing bowl, beat eggs, vanilla and salt at high speed until light.
• Beating constantly, gradually add sugar; and continue beating at high speed until mixture is thick and pale and ribbons form in bowl when beaters are lifted, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Sift flour into egg mixture 1/3 at a time, gently folding after each addition.
• Add lemon zest and pour melted butter around edge of batter. Quickly but gently fold butter into batter. Spoon batter into molds; it will mound slightly above tops.
• Bake 14 to 17 minutes, or until cakes are golden and the tops spring back when gently pressed with your fingertip.
• Use the tip of the knife to loosen madeleines from pan; invert onto rack. Immediately sprinkle warm cookies with granulated sugar. Madeleines are best eaten the day they're baked. Leftover madeleines are wonderful when dunked into coffee or tea.
• Variation: Chocolate Madeleines: Omit lemon zest. Increase sugar to 1/2 cup. Substitute 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder for 2 tablespoons of the flour; sift into batter with flour.

Steps:

• Cream butter and brown sugar with electric mixer equipped with paddle attachment, if you have one.
• Beat on high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
• Add egg and vanilla and mix well.
• Add flour and salt and mix on low speed until incorporated.
• Roll dough into three 1 1/2" logs, wrap in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350° and line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• Roll logs in turbinado or granulated sugar, making sure to coat them evenly.
• Slice logs into 1/4" thick cookies and place on cookie sheet 1" apart.
• Use a skewer or toothpick to make four decorative holes in each cookie, making the cookie appear to be a button.
• Bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
• Cool on wire rack.

Steps:

• In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes).
• Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until blended.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
• Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat just until incorporated. Do not over mix the dough.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, knead the dough a few times to bring it together, and then divide the dough in half.
• Wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (at least an hour).
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven.
• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• Remove one portion of the dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured work surface. Roll out the dough until it is 1/4 inch (1 cm) thick. Using a lightly floured 2 inch (5 cm) round fluted cookie cutter, cut out the cookies, placing them on the prepared sheet.
• Place the baking sheet of cut out cookies in the refrigerator for about 15 -20 minutes to chill the dough.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the egg with the water for the egg wash. Remove the cookies from the refrigerator and brush the tops with the egg wash.
• Then, with the tines of a fork (or I like to use the end of a toothpick), make a crisscross pattern on the top of each cookie.
• Bake cookies in the preheated oven for about 12-14 minutes (depending on size of cookie) or until golden brown around the edges.
• Cool cookies on wire rack.
• Store in an airtight container for up to a week.