It’s Christmas and sometimes you want something that’s a little bit outside the ubiquitous cutout cookie. This one is for that scenario. Not really boozy but they have a little something extra in the flavor and they hold their shape well when you go to bake them. No unrecognizable, what is that supposed to be shapes once they come out of the oven. They do poof a little more than shortbread but not as much as a sugar cookie.

Brandy Cut Out Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 

¼ teaspoon sea salt

½  teaspoon baking powder

½ cup unsalted butter

1 cup sugar 

1 large egg

2 tablespoons brandy or milk if you’d rather

½ teaspoon vanilla 

Combine the flour, salt and baking powder, set aside. In the bowl of the mixer combine butter and sugar. Cream until the granules are gone. Add the egg, brandy and vanilla. Mix to combine. Add the dry ingredients. Mix until it pulls together. Tip onto the counter and shape into a skinny disk. I use the plastic wrap to help mold the dough. Refrigerate 30 minutes. 

Preheat the oven 350 degrees. Line 4 baking sheets with parchment. On a lightly floured surface roll the dough to ¼-⅛ thickness. Cut. Be as judicious as you can with cutting trying to leave as few scraps as possible. The more you re-roll the dough, the tougher the cookie will be. Twice is fine, three times maybe can pass. Four times is bad. 

Place on a baking sheet, with an inch between each cookie, and bake 9-11 minutes, until the cookies look dry on top and maybe just a little color on the bottom edge. Transfer to a cooling rack. Decorate.