I’ve found that this dough cannot be made ahead and refrigerated; it needs to be mixed just before loading into the cookie press. Also, when I double or triple the batch, I mix each batch separately. Over the years, I’ve dispensed with the egg white wash, cutting down on at least one of the tedious steps.
3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large egg yolks
3 3/4 all-purpose flour
an egg wash made by beating 1 egg white lightly with 2 teaspoons water
green decorating sugar
candied cherries, sliced thin
Preheat over to 350 degrees. In a bowl with an electric mixer cream the butter with sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the salt, the vanilla, and the egg yolks, and beat the mixture until it is smooth. Add the flour and beat the dough until it is just combined. Pack the dough into a cookie press fitted with the wreath disk and press cookies about 1 inch apart onto cool, ungreased baking sheets. Brush the cookies lightly with the egg wash, sprinkle them with the decorating sugar, and arrange two cherry slices decoratively on the them to approximate a bow. Bake the cookies in batches in the middle of the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are pale golden. Transfer the cookies to racks and let them cool. (Do not let the cookies cool on the sheets.) The cookies may be made 2 months in advance and kept frozen in airtight containers. Makes about 120 cookies.
