Bachelor's Buttons

These retro little cookies look like tiny buttons with a cherry jewel on top, and they’re about as foolproof as baking gets.

The dough is a straightforward cream-butter-and-sugar affair with eggs, vanilla, flour, and baking powder. No chilling, no rolling, no cookie cutters.

Just drop them by the teaspoon onto a greased sheet, press half a cherry into each one, and bake until the edges go golden.

They come out puffy and tender with just enough sweetness to satisfy without being over the top. Makes about three dozen, which sounds like a lot until you realize how fast they disappear.

Kitchen Tips

• Cream the butter and sugar until genuinely light and fluffy. This step aerates the dough and gives the cookies their soft, tender crumb.
• Use maraschino cherries, candied cherries, or glacé cherries depending on what look you’re going for. Maraschinos are the easiest to find.
• Space the drops two inches apart on the baking sheet. They spread more than you’d expect from such a stiff dough.
• Pull them at 8 minutes if you want softer centers, 10 minutes for crisper edges. Check early since the high oven temperature moves fast.