(Penzey’s Spices)
1 stick butter
2/3 Cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
pecan halves or candied cherry halves, optional
Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla together. Add the egg and beat until the batter is light and fluffy. Gently mix in the flour, salt, and baking powder to make a soft dough. Drop by the scant (barely full) teaspoon, 2 inches apart, on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for about 8 minutes at 350. Remove the cookies right away, or they will stick. If desired, top with pecan halves or candied cherries immediately after removing the cookies from the pan.
Tips:
Make sure to leave enough space between cookies, as they spread a lot. If your oven racks are not perfectly level, the cookies will end up in all sorts of bizarre shapes. (I had to use a wad of foil to get my cookie sheets level.) Use a thin, flexible spatula to remove the cookies from the pans, as they do not rise much and can be a tad difficult to remove from the pan. Using parchment paper and/or a cookie sheet that has no rim makes it easier.