• 1/2 c butter
• 3/4 c sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 2 c flour
• 1/2 t baking powder
• pinch salt
• 1/4 c milk or more

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Cream butter and sugar.
3. Beat in vanilla and egg.
4. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in bowl. Add half dry ingredient mixture to the butter mixture, beat for a minute.
5. Add milk (and any extra ingredients), beat for 10 seconds.
6. Add remaining dry ingredient mixture and a little more milk if needed.
7. Drop by tablespoons 3″ apart on ungreased baking sheet.
8. Bake till edges are browned = 10 minutes.
9. Cool 2 minutes, then transfer to rack.

*For sour cream cookies, substitute 1 t baking soda for the baking powder, and 1/3 c sour cream for the milk. Either drop by T or refrigerate 1 hour, form into walnut-size balls and bake.

*For butter nut cookies, add 1/2 c chopped nuts to batter.

*For coconut cookies, add 1 c shredded coconut to batter.

*For butterscotch cookies, use 2/3 c brown sugar instead of white sugar.

*For orange or lemon cookies, add 1 T minced orange or lemon zest to batter, and omit the vanilla. Add 2 T poppy seeds if you want.

*For dried fruit cookies, add up to 1/2 c raisins or other chopped dried fruit to batter.

*For ginger cookies, add 2 T or more chopped crystallized ginger to batter.

*For cinnamon cookies, dust cookies with mixture of 2 T sugar and 1 t cinnamon just before baking.

*For spice cookies, stir 1 t ground ginger, cardamom, or cinnamon into batter.

*For powdered sugar cookies, dust with thick layer of confectioners’ sugar when you transfer cookies to rack to cool.

*For butter cookies with sea salt, sprinkle the tops of just-baked cookies with a few grains of coarse sea salt.

*Drizzle with orange glaze.