Off-to-Bed Butter Cookies

CRUMBLY, delicate and glistening with golden sugar, these easy slice-and-bake cookies will quickly become one of your favourite standbys.

This recipe is from Gourmet magazine.

Makes about 4 dozen

6oz (175g) plain flour

¼ tsp salt

150g (5oz) unsalted butter, softened

100g (3½oz) granulated sugar

2 tsp heavy cream

3 tbsp Demerara sugar

2 large baking sheets lined with parchment paper

Stir together the flour and sugar in a bowl. Beat together butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing, and continue to mix until batter just comes together in clumps.

Gather clumps to form a dough, then press dough with lightly floured hands into a smooth 1¼ in (3cm) thick log on a very lightly floured work surface.

Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, for at least 1 hour.

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350F/180C/gas mark 5.

Cut chilled log crosswise into ¼ inch (5mm) thick slices and arrange slices about ½ inch (1cm) apart on baking sheets.

Brush tops of cookies lightly with cream, then sprinkle generously with Demerara sugar.

Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until edges are pale golden — 12-15 minutes in total.

Cool on sheets on racks.

Note: Dough log can be chilled, wrapped well in plastic wrap, for up to three days or frozen, wrapped in plastic and foil, for one month (thaw in refrigerator just until dough can be sliced).

Cookies will keep for four days in an airtight container at room temperature.