Butter cookies...good for the heart!

Everyone tends to have their own specialty dish. I have written previous posts about my mom's Almond Crescents, my Aunt Anne's mini-cheesecakes, my Grandmom's fabulous grilled cheese sandwiches...well, 2 dishes that my Aunt Janet is known for are pineapple stuffing (which I will post closer to Easter) and her amazing butter cookies. She makes these cookies every Christmas. They are crisp buttery goodness. At first glance, one might assume it's just another sugar cookie, but once you take a bite and that buttery flavor melts in your mouth, you know there's a little something special going on....

There are two notable things about this recipe: one, you mix everything with your hands! This means perfectly mixed batter and not a lot of clean up (I am not a big fan of recipes that require a ton of gadgets, bowls, etc). Two, the recipe makes a TON of cookies (11-12 dozen). So, it's a great cookie to make at the holidays, along with your other family favorites, to round out the packages you are sending to friends and loved ones.

I made these cookies for a Valentine's Day treat using my Wilton cookie gun. Anyone that has used the cookie gun can tell you that it's a great concept but all batters do not work well in the gun....this butter cookie batter, however, worked perfectly.

Butter Cookies

1 lb Butter

2 cups sugar

2 eggs beaten

4 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar with hands. Add eggs, flour, vanilla and baking powder. Continue to mix with hands. Drop onto ungreased cookie sheet approximately 2 inches apart.

Bake 15 - 20 minutes or until edges start to brown.