Classic Sugar Cookies, Nine Ways

Basic sugar cookie recipe, from which to build variations [see below].

Ingredients (per batch):
2 sticks unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon orange zest
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

sanding sugar for tops

Preparing the dough:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat butter, granulated sugar and confectioners' sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg yolks, vanilla and orange zest.

Whisk flour, baking powder and salt; stir into the butter mixture. Chill 30 minutes. Roll tablespoonfuls into balls and flatten; sprinkle with coarse sugar and bake 15 to 20 minutes.

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Lime Coolers:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Make Classic Sugar Cookies with lime zest instead of orange. Whisk 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons green decorating sugar and 3 tablespoons lime juice, then spread over finished cookies.

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Brown-Betty Buttons:
Melt 2 sticks butter over medium heat until browned, then cool. Make Classic Sugar Cookie dough with the browned butter in place of the 2 sticks butter and use just 1 egg yolk and 3/4 cup granulated sugar total (omit confectioners'). Scoop into tiny balls and bake 10 to 12 minutes at 325 degrees F. Cool, then sandwich with raspberry jam and dust with confectioners' sugar.

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Peanut Butter Cookies:
Make Classic Sugar Cookie dough without zest. Add 1 cup peanut butter with the sugar. Roll into medium balls; press with a fork. Sprinkle with coarse sugar and bake 12 to 15 minutes at 350 degrees F.

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Black and Whites:
Make Classic Sugar Cookie dough without baking powder; chill 2 hours. Roll out to 1/8 inch thick, then cut into 2-inch rounds and chill 30 minutes. Bake 8 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees F. Cool, then spread with vanilla frosting on one side and chocolate on the other.

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Lemon Volcanoes:
Make Classic Sugar Cookie dough with 1 cup granulated sugar total (omit confectioners') and lemon zest instead of orange; omit baking powder. Chill. Pulse 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon zest in a food processor. Roll dough into two 1-inch-thick logs and roll in the lemon sugar. Freeze logs 20 minutes, then slice 1 inch thick. Bake 20 to 25 minutes at 325 degrees F.

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Holiday Windowpanes:
Make Classic Sugar Cookie dough without baking powder; chill 2 hours. Roll out to 1/4 inch thick and cut into large Christmas-tree shapes. Cut out smaller trees from centers. Place on silicone mats and bake 6 to 8 minutes at 350 degrees F, then sprinkle the centers with crushed hard candies and bake until melted, 2 to 5 more minutes.

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Sugar Sandwiches:
Make Classic Sugar Cookie dough without baking powder; chill 2 hours. Roll out to 1/4 inch thick and cut into 2-inch rounds. Chill 30 minutes, then bake 8 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees F. Cool, then sandwich with jam or frosting.

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Mexican Wedding Cookies:
Make Classic Sugar Cookie dough with almond extract instead of vanilla. Add 1 cup almond flour to the dry ingredients. Chill 30 minutes, then scoop into tiny balls and bake 20 to 25 minutes at 325 degrees F. Cool, then toss in confectioners' sugar.

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Pistachio Linzers:
Make Classic Sugar Cookie dough; add 3/4 cup ground pistachios with the flour. Roll out to 1/4 inch thick and cut into 2-inch rounds. Bake 10 to 15 minutes at 350 degrees F. Cool, then sandwich with cherry jam.