Sugar Cookies

In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse several times until crumbly. Add the egg and vanilla. Pulse several times until moist large crumbs form. Pour out onto a clean surface and divide the pile in half. Gather up each pile and gently knead a few times to bring it together. Shape them into 1-inch thick disks. Wrap tightly with plastic and refrigerate for 20 minutes. You can refrigerate the dough for up to 4 days or freeze it for up to a month.

Heat the oven (with the oven racks toward the middle) to 350°F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the disks of dough to about ¼ inch thick (about a 9-inch round). Use 2-inch round cookie cutter (or any cookie cutter you like) to cut the dough. Place on the prepared pan, spacing and inch apart (you can fit 20 to a pan). Gather up the scraps, re-roll, and cut. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Repeat with the other dough.

Bake, rotating the pans half way through from top to bottom, until the cookies just start to brown around the edges, 14 to 16 minutes. Place the pan on a wire cooling rack and let the cookies cool completely.

Serve as is or decorate as you wish. Delicious either way.