Excellent tasting cookie. I too made them with only vanilla, because I didn't have butter flavoring. I probably will continue to do this for future batches. I used thick bamboo skewers I purchased at the grocery store and made 4" cookies. The sticks held up fine, and it is far easier than asking my husband to cut dowels. :) (I did not soak the bamboo, just took them straight out of the package). I had a problem with the dough sticking to my marble surface. I rolled out small batches in between deli wrap sheets, and it was perfect! I had to bake them longer, and found that the cookies were a little too brittle after decorating, if I did not cook longer. Also, I preferred those baked on my Pamp Chef stone vs those cooked on metal. They were more evenly cooked and not as doughy in the middle, which affects the cookie's integrity. I'm still looking for a good frosting recipe though.

Reviewed On: Oct. 14, 2009