Better Butter Cookies

Rolled sugar cookies to die for. My friend, Claudia, gave me this recipe. She rolls hers very thin and recommends checking them after 5 minutes. She also recommends using parchment paper. Prep time does not include 3 hours of refrigeration. The number of cookies depends on the size of your cutters.

• Ready In: 23 mins
• Yields: 24-36 cookies

Ingredients

• 1  cup butter, softened (no substitutes)
• 3  ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1  cup sugar
• 1  egg yolk
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1⁄4 cups flour
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon baking powder

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter, cream cheese, and sugar. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla. Combine flour, salt, and soda. Gradually add to creamed mixture. Divide dough into four sections. Form each into a large ball, flatten, wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours.
2. Let dough sit at room temperature 20 minutes or until soft enough to roll without being too soft. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8" thickness. Cut with cookie cutters and bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 375 degrees 8 - 10 minutes until the edges begin to brown. Cool for several minutes on the cookie sheet before removing to a cooling rack. Decorate with powdered sugar glaze or butter cream icing or colored sugar (before baking).