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Pinch of salt

1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into bits

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

½ cup milk, more or less

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Combine the flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse once or twice. (It’s important to process the ingredients gently, letting the machine run no longer than necessary at each stage so as not to toughen the batter.) Add the butter and pulse 10 or 20 times, until the butter and flour are well combined. Add the vanilla and the egg and pulse 3 or 4 times. Add about half the milk and pulse 2 or 3 times. Add the remaining milk a little at a time, pulsing once or twice after each addition, until the dough holds together in a sticky mass. (You can, of course, also make this batter in a standing mixer or by hand. In either case, cream together the butter and sugar first, then add the mixed dry ingredients.)

3. Drop rounded teaspoons of dough (you can make the cookies larger or smaller if you like) onto a nonstick baking sheet, a sheet lined with parchment paper, or a lightly buttered baking sheet. If you want flat cookies, press the balls down a bit with your fingers or the back of a spatula or wooden spoon. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, checking every minute or so after 8 minutes since most oven temperatures are slightly inaccurate, or until the cookies are done as you like them. Cool on a rack, then serve or store in a covered container for up to 3 days.

VARIATIONS

Bake at 350°F for a minute or two longer. The cookies won’t brown on the edges as they will at 375°F, but they will be crisp. Or bake for an extra minute or two at 375°F for browned and crisp cookies.

Eight Cookies Using Butter Cookie Dough

Butterscotch Cookies

Substitute half or more brown sugar for the white sugar or simply add 1 tablespoon molasses along with the egg.

Citrus Cookies

Do not use the vanilla; add 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice and 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest along with the egg. The same can be done with orange juice and zest. A couple tablespoons of poppy seeds go well here also.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Stir about 1 cup chocolate chips into the finished batter. (The butterscotch batter variation is good here.)

Spice Cookies

Add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon each ground allspice and ground ginger, and 1 pinch ground cloves and mace or nutmeg to the dry ingredients.

Ginger Cookies

Add 1 tablespoon ground ginger to the dry ingredients. For even better flavor, add ¼ cup minced crystallized ginger to the batter by hand (this works well in addition to or in place of the ground ginger).

Chunky Cookies

To the finished batter, add about 1 cup M&Ms (or other similar candy) or roughly chopped walnuts, pecans, or cashews; slivered almonds; raisins; coconut; dried cherries; and so on. Or combine any chunky ingredients you like.

Rolled Cookies

Freeze the dough for 15 minutes or refrigerate it for about 1 hour (or longer). Work half the batter at a time and roll it on a lightly floured surface; it will absorb some flour at first but will soon become less sticky. Do not add more flour than necessary. Roll about ¼ inch thick and cut with any cookie cutter; decorate as you like. Bake as directed, reducing the cooking time to 8 to 10 minutes.

Puffy Cookies

The basic cookies are flat. For airier cookies, add ½ teaspoon baking powder to the dry ingredients.

OLIVE OIL COOKIES WITH RED WINE AND ROSEMARY

MAKES ABOUT 4 DOZEN

TIME: 30 MINUTES

YOU NEED NOT use your best olive oil for these cookies, but extra virgin olive oil will make them more interesting than “pure” or “light” olive oil.

2½ cups flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary or ½ teaspoon dried

¾ cup sugar

2 eggs

½ cup olive oil

¾ cup dry red wine, or a little more

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Combine the dry ingredients. Beat the eggs with the olive oil and wine. Use a rubber spatula to stir the liquid mix into the dry one, just until well combined; if the mixture is stiff, add a little more wine.