Butter Cookies

These cookies definitely belong to sinful food. Not your everyday food, as Julia Child would say. So if you are scared that your arteries will be suddenly clogged with fats, and your waist will expand unexpectedly, please don't bother to read the recipe.
But those of you who sometimes give in and let your desires rule (just a little, just once in a while :) will certainly enjoy these cookies. Cookies that are crumbly and tender and literally melting in your mouth.
This recipe has been in my now shabby recipe notebook since I was 20+ (where are those times?..), they go under the name Liuda's Pastries (but I have no clue who Liuda is...:).  I baked these cookies  in Russia using local products. Here in the US I got a little different but even better result. Now, let's get to the kitchen ...

What you need:
1 stick cold butter, about 100g and a little more
1.5 cups flour
1/2 cup real mayonnaise
1 large egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
Poppy seeds for sprinkling

Method:
Beat egg with sugar, add mayo, mix well, and set aside or put in the fridge.
Set the oven to 365F.
Chop butter and flour on the cutting board with pastry cutter or a big knife until you get fine crumble. Sprinkle with baking soda.

Mix in egg mass gradually. Quickly make dough with your hand.  Scoop about one tsp of dough per each cookie and put it on an ungreased cold baking sheet.  Try to work fast.

Sprinkle with poppy seeds and throw into the pre-heated oven. Bake about 20 minutes or until slightly golden. I did 24 cookies this way.

The remaining half of the dough was sitting in the freezer while the first batch was baking. I did a different form cookies out of it. Scoop 1 tsp of dough and make a ball with your hands (roll it between your palms), about 1" in diameter. Place balls on a cold baking sheet and bake as the first batch. The balls will become nice round cookies while baking.

The cookies while still warm were meltingly tender and so delicious. I ate one to evaluate, and my brows went north. Um-m-m...

Notes:
Poppy seeds were added at an impulse since there was no filling or anything in the original recipe. You can add whatever you like on top: nuts, seeds, dry berries, etc.

In the original recipe the surface of the ready cookies was cracked.  Maybe it was because of the qualities of the ingredients I used, or the dough was a little thicker. They were very good, too, but today's recipe I liked more, because of the exceptional delicacy and  decadent feeling.

Would you like to spoil yourself a little? Want some cookies?.. C'mon, just one ...