Serves: 36
Total Calories: 118

DOUGH
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup baker's or superfine sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 egg, at room temperature. lightly beaten
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
ERNA NUEMAN'S ICING
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract
2 tablespoons whole milk or cream, plus more if needed
2 to 3 drops blue food coloring

1. To make the dough: Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt, then lightly whisk and set aside.
2. In a stand mixer set on low speed, beat the butter until creamy, about 30 seconds. On medium speed, beat in the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until well blended, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the vanilla until blended. Add half of the flour mixture, then the buttermilk, then the remaining flour, beating until it is combined and forms a dough.
3. Using lightly floured hands, gather the sticky dough into a ball. Divide the ball in half and flatten each into a 6- to 8-inch disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours or until firm.
4. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or leave ungreased, and set aside.
5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and, if needed, soften slightly for easier handling. Roll the dough out 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured board, between 2 sheets of parchment paper or heavy-duty plastic wrap, or on a pastry cloth with a cloth-covered rolling pin.
6. Lightly dip a 3- or 31/2-inch Hanukkah-themed cookie cutter in flour, then firmly press it straight down into the dough. Repeat, cutting the cookies close together to avoid rerolling. Using a spatula, carefully transfer the cookies to the baking sheet, spacing them 1 inch apart.
7. Bake until golden, about 14 minutes. Cool slightly on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. To make the icing: In a medium bowl, beat together the powdered sugar, butter, salt, vanilla, and lemon extract until blended. It will be lumpy. Stir in the milk until it reaches a spreading consistency. If desired, divide the icing in half and add blue food coloring to one half, mixing until the color is uniform. Using a small spatula, spread the blue icing over the cooled cookies. Place the white icing in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe designs, or spread the white icing over the cooled cookies and decorate as desired.

Note: Baker’s or superfine sugar is available in supermarket baking sections. For a quick substitute, whirl 1 cup of granulated sugar at a time in a food processor or blender until fine, about 20 seconds.

Variation
Add glitter to your Hanukkah table with Razzle-Dazzle Dreidels. Follow the main recipe, using a dreidel cookie cutter. Before baking, use a clean watercolor brush to paint the cookies with an egg-white wash (1 egg white lightly beaten with 2 teaspoons water). Cover the painted areas with blue-colored sugar. Continue as directed.



From Holiday Baking. Text copyright © 2005 by Sara Perry. Photographs copyright © 2005 by Leigh Beisch. All rights reserved. First published by Chronicle Books LLC, San Francisco, California.

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 36
Total Calories: 118
Calories from Fat: 38

More Recipes from the Holiday Baking Cookbook:
"Let's Make a Dreidel" Chocolate Cake
A Nice Little Cheesecake
Apricot Nut or Cardamom Pistachio Rugelach
Bubbee and Me Baked Candy Apples
Chocolate Gelt Hide-a-Cookies
Golden Savory Cheese Coins
Hanukkah Frosted Cookie Cutouts
Jerusalem Olive Oil Cake with Orange Marmalade and Almonds
Pear-Apple Strudel (with Rosemary White Chocolate Ganache)
Rosemary White Chocolate Ganache
Selma's Apricot Noodle Kugel
Streusel-Top Sour Cream Coffee Cake