Vanilla Cookie Pretzels

The best part about baking these tender and sweet cookie pretzels is shaping them. It’s a fun activity for children to do when it’s too humid or cold to play outside. The cakey texture of these cookies pairs perfectly with either coffee or tea.

All purpose flour	2¼ cups
Baking powder	1 tsp
A pinch of salt
Unsalted butter, softened	3 oz or ¾ stick
Granulated sugar	½ cup
Vanilla extract	1½ tsp
Egg yolks	3 large
Milk	½ cup

• Combine flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.

• Using an electric mixer, beat softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then beat in vanilla extract.

• Whisk egg yolks and milk together in another bowl, then pour about half into the butter and sugar mixture. Beat until smooth.
  
  
  
• Fold in about half of the flour mixture. Then add the remaining liquid and mix well.

• Finally, fold in the rest of the flour mixture. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for about 3 hours or overnight.
  
  
  
• When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F., and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

  
• Divide dough into 30 pieces of approximately equal weight. Then roll each piece of dough to form a rope of about 8 inches long. Fold the rope in half and place it on the prepared baking pan. Follow the illustration to shape cookies.
  
  
  
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  Bake cookie pretzels for about 15 minutes until they are golden and firm. Slice parchment paper with cookies on it from baking pan to racks to cool. Dust them lightly with confectioners’ sugar, if desired, before serving.

There are also a recipe for sesame cookies and many other easy cookie recipes for your next party.