Butter Gems - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, room temperature, diced
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Preparation

Cream butter and sugar.
Add flour and mix to form a thick paste.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350. Grease two baking sheets.
Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4\" thickness. Cut out rounds with a 1 1/4\" cookie cutter. Bake on sheets for 10 minutes, or until pale golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cookies can be decorated with piped swirls of buttercream and colored sugar.