REGINA -- If decorating isn’t your thing or you don’t have the time, this is a great little cookie with all the delicious flavours of a superb sugar cookie without all the fuss. You can bake them all at once, or a little at a time. The logs can also be frozen.

Makes about 2 ½ dozen

INGREDIENTS

2 ¼ cup flour (9.6 oz by weight if you have a scale)

½ tsp salt

½ tsp mace or 1/8 tsp nutmeg

1 cup soft butter

¾ cup granulated sugar

½ cup icing sugar, gently packed

2 egg yolks

1 tbsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

Beat the butter, granulated sugar and icing sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add in the egg yolks, one at a time, beating for about 10 seconds after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Reserve the egg whites for another use such as pavlova or amaretti cookies, or freeze them.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and mace. Add to the fat mixture in 2 additions until well mixed.

Divide the dough in two and shape each half into a log about 7” long and 2” in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap, and twist the ends. Pick up the log by the two ends and twirl in a quick motion to form into an evenly shaped log. Refrigerate about 1 hour, until firm.

Before wrapping in plastic wrap, you may wish to roll each log in coloured sugar, crushed nuts or crushed candy canes, depending on the season.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Pour about ¼ cup granulated sugar into a bowl.

Unwrap one log and cut into ¼” rounds with a sharp knife. Toss each round into the granulated sugar and place on the cookie sheet. The sugar will give the cookie a pretty iridescent look.

Bake 15-16 minutes, until fully cooked through. Watch they don’t brown on the edges*. Let cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. They freeze well.

*If you have trouble with the cookies browning too much, nestle one cookie sheet inside another to create an insulated layer of air. It will help prevent the cookies from burning. Also, if you purchase dark non-stick pans, they are among the worst for baking cookies as they attract too much heat and nearly always burn just about anything they bake. I recommend purchasing lighter coloured baking sheets that are thick. I also use the Pampered Chef clay baking sheets and swear by them. They are pricy but I’ve never had a cookie burn since I started using them. Cookies always come out beautifully. And we always love to sit back with a cuppa tea, a freshly baked cookie and admire our handiwork!