Step 1

Cream together the butter and icing sugar very well until very smooth and creamy. No lumps of butter should be visible.

Step 2

Blend in the vanilla extract.

Step 3

Sift together the flour and corn starch.

Step 4

Blend slowly into the creamed mixture until a soft dough forms.

Step 5

Split dough into 2 equal round portions.

Step 6

Wrap the dough rounds in plastic wrap and chill for a couple of hours at least.

Step 7

You can freeze one of the cookie dough portions for later if you like.

Step 8

This dough will also last in the fridge for 3-4 days so that you can bake a few up at a time and enjoy them fresh from the oven if you like.

Step 9

To bake the cookies preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Step 10

Roll the dough out to a little less than 1/4 of an inch on a lightly floured surface. Use a 2 inch cookie cutter (or holiday shaped cookie cutters) to cut out the cookies.

Step 11

Place the cookies on the parchment paper a half inch apart. Add a half maraschino or glacé cherry to the center, or a baking gumdrop if you like.

Step 12

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until they just start to turn brown at the edges.

Step 13

Let cool for 10 minutes on the pan before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Step 14

These cookies will freeze quite well for several weeks.