Icebox Butter Cookies!

And the reason for the name is that the dough must be refrigerated at least 8 hours before slicing and baking making these cookies perfect for preparing in advance. Rich, crisp, buttery, these cookies were one of my Mom’s favorites. My Mother was a fabulous baker: pies, cookies, breads…you name it; she made it. I also like to bake so decided to unearth this old Betty Crocker recipe and have the dough on hand for our visitors, Steve and Debby Vis from Arizona.

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
3 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs

Preparation:
In medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In large bowl, beat butter, white sugar, brown sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. On low speed, gradually beat in flour mixture just until blended.

Cut dough into quarters. Shape dough in 4 (roughly 6 inch) logs. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate 8 hours or up to 3 days.

Drop one quarter of the dough onto 4 pieces of plastic wrap.

Using your fingers form the dough into a log.

Tightly wrap the plastic around each log.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Unwrap dough. Cut into 1/4 inch slices. Place slices on cookie sheets 1 inch apart.

Bake 8-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Do not overbake.

Icebox cookies are good anytime, but make a very special treat in bed with an ice cold glass of milk!

A QUICK GLIMPSE OF INIS MOR…

We had a wonderful visit with Steve and Deb and really packed a lot into a few days. A quick ferry ride away is Inis Mor, the largest of the 3 Aran Islands.  With Gabriel Faherty as our trusted guide, we toured the whole island with a stop at his goat farm to learn a bit about cheese making. Gabriel, fisherman turned goat cheese maker, produces a beautiful, creamy soft goat cheese (plain, Italian or infused with seaweed) and has just started making a firm goat cheese; equally as delicious.

Deb gives this “kid” some love!

Gabriel cutting a 1 kg. (about 2 lbs.) round of the firmer goat cheese in half. We took a pound home.

Teach Nan Phaidi is the Café owned by Gabriel’s mother-in-law, Catherine Concannon in the village of Kilmurvey. Phenomenal food and baked goods.

My husband, Jerry, and our good friend Steve outside the Café.

Me with The Seven Churches (Na Seacht Teampall in Gaelic) in the background. The Churches, dating back to the 8th century,  are located on the western side of Inis Mor in the village of Eoghanacht. A must-see while visiting the island.