Eggless Butter Cookies

Baking is a big stress buster for me. The little guy shares the same passion as me when it comes to baking. The minute he notices the butter sticks on the counter he gets excited. We work together as a team. He helps me with the lining of trays, creaming the butter, measuring the ingredients. The time spent together helps him learn about measurement, gives him a chance to experiment / observe and more than all appreciate the effort that goes into making food. We bond as we have a blast in the kitchen. It also takes me back to my mom's kitchen. As a  kid I used to hang around my mom, holding her saree pallu questioning her endlessly about various ingredients or spices used. Even now when I am home I spend most of the time sitting and chatting or helping mom in the kitchen. Now when I think of it I am glad that she took time to answer all my questions patiently as it helped me immensely with my love for Cooking. Memories are made from moments like these!

These butter cookies are pretty easy to make with basic ingredients available in our kitchen pantry. The butter cookies are eggless, cumbly and pairs perfectly with a cup of hot coffee. My friend Sumana shared this recipe with me. These have been a hit with our family and friends. I hope you do give a try and let me know if you liked it.

Here is what's needed:

2 cups APF
1 cup or 2 sticks of unsalted butter softened
3/4 cup fine granulated sugar
2 tsp Vanilla extract

Procedure:

1) Sift flour to ensure that there are no lumps. In a bowl cream the butter and sugar using a hand blender or whisk until light and creamy. Add in the vanilla essence and the flour. Using hands bring it all together to form a dough. Do not overwork the dough.
2) Preheat oven to 350 F.
3) Make small balls by pinching out the dough and roll it into a smooth ball. Place them on baking tray lined with parchment paper.  Do not place the cookies too close to each other. Gently press with a fork to flatten it out and make a pattern on the cookie.
4) Bake it for 12-15 mins in the oven or until the bottom turns brown. If the cookies are under baked they will turn chewy when cooled and if it is over baked they turn crunchy. So keep an eye after 12 mins. Gently lift a cookie to check if its browned else keep it for few  more mins.
5) Cool the cookies on a cooling rack and when done store them in an air tight box.