Ingredients

1 cup sugar

1 cup margarine or butter, softened

2 eggs

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

3 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

• Mix sugar, margarine, eggs, and vanilla.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Divide into 3 equal parts.  Shape each part into roll, about 1 ½ inches in diameter.  Wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
• Heat oven to 400˚.  Cut rolls into 1/8-inch slices.  Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. 
• Bake until edges begin to brown for around 8-10 minutes.
• Immediately remove from cookie sheet.
• About 7 dozen cookies.

Christmas Trees

• Flatten the roll and cut with a Christmas tree-shaped cookie cutter. 
• Decorate the tree with green sugar, small candies, or icing.

Spicy Rounds

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• Add ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg with the flour. 
• Coat rolls with mixture of ¼ cup sugar and ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg.

Cookie Tarts

• Cut out centers of half of the unbaked cookies with ¾-inch cutters.
• Spoon ½ teaspoon red jelly or jam onto uncut slices: top with cutout slices. 
• Press edges to seal.

Sugar Rounds

• Coat rolls with red or green sugar or multicolored candies.

Nutty Rounds

• Coat rolls with chopped nuts.

Peppermint Swirls

• Decrease vanilla to 1 teaspoon: add 1 teaspoon peppermint extract.  After dough is mixed, divide into halves.
• Stir ½ tablespoon red or green food color into one half.  Cover both halves and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Roll plain dough into rectangle, about 16 x 9 inches, on lightly floured surface.  Repeat with colored dough: place on plain dough.  Roll the doughs together about ¼ inch thick.  Roll up tightly beginning at 16-inch side.
• Wrap and refrigerate.  Continue as directed.

Ribbon Cookies

• Decrease vanilla to 1 teaspoon: add 1 teaspoon peppermint extract.  After dough is mixed, divide into halves.
• Stir ½ tablespoon red or green food color into one half.  Cover both halves and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Shape each half into 2 strips, each about 9 x 2 ½ inches, on very lightly floured surface.  Layer strips, alternating colors; press together.
• Wrap and refrigerate.  Continue as directed.  Makes about 5 ½ dozen cookies.