Course: Desserts
Cuisine: Scottish
Serves: 12
Main ingredient: Flour, Butter

Ingredients:
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract*
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (plus a little more for rolling)


* or vanilla paste. (Cobra Vanilla Paste) If you are using paste, use four teaspoons.

Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 325F. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt at medium speed until smooth and becoming fluffy. Make sure there are no lumps of butter in the mixture. Add the flour and mix at low speed until combined. Divide the dough in half and shape into 2 rectangles.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out 1 piece of the dough to 1/4-inch-thick rectangle. Using fluted pastry wheel, bench scraper, pizza cutter or large knife, trim the edges square and then cut the dough into 2- by 1-inch rectangles. Transfer the cookies to baking sheets, spacing ~1/2 to 1 inch apart (they do not spread very much). Repeat with remaining dough. You can take the scraps and lightly knead them together *one time* and repeat the rolling/cutting process. (If you work the dough more than twice (the initial rolling and then the second rolling) it will become tough and not worth using, imho.)

Prick each cookie three times with the tines of a fork, then chill at least 10 minutes. Bake until edges are golden, about 15 minutes. Cool on pans (or you can transfer cookies to a cooling rack.