Rich Roll Cookies (from the 1997 "Joy Of Cooking")

Simply the best Christmas cookies! 

Beat on medium speed until very fluffy and well blended:

½ lb. butter (2 sticks) unsalted, softened
2/3 cup sugar

Add & beat until well combined:

1 large egg
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons vanilla

Stir in until well blended and smooth:

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

Divide dough in half. Place each half between 2 large sheets of wax paper. Roll
out to a scant ¼" thick, checking the underside of the dough, and smoothing any
creases. Keeping the paper in place, layer the rolled dough on a baking sheet and
refrigerate until cold and slightly firm but not hard, 20 to 30 minutes.

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease
cookie sheets.

Working with one portion of dough at a time (leave the other in the
refrigerator), gently peel away and replace one sheet of the paper. (This
unsticks) Put this unstuck side down, then peel away and discard the top sheet.
Cut out cookies. With a spatula, transfer to cookie sheets, spacing cookies 1"
apart. Roll dough scraps & iterate, recooling as needed. Optionally, the cookies
can be sprinkled with sprinkles before baking.

Bake 6-9 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through.

These cookies go very well with frosting, but I don't like the icing suggested in
JOC.