Alice's Right-Brain Nutty Butter Cookies

Directions

1. FOR COOKIES WITH CHOPPED NUTS: Pulse nuts in the food processor until they are a little coarser than you want them to be. Dump them out and set them aside. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in the processor and pulse to mix thoroughly. Add the butter and vanilla and process until the mixture is blended, with no visible flour. Add the nuts and pulse just until they are dispersed in the dough.
2. FOR EXTRA-TENDER COOKIES WITH GROUND NUTS: Combine the nuts, flour, sugar, and salt in the food processor and pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Add the butter and the vanilla and process until the mixture forms a dough with no visible dry ingredients.
3. In either case, shape the dough into a 10- to 14-inch-long log (about 1 3/4 inches in diameter) on a large sheet of wax or parchment paper (or make 2 skinnier logs if you want smaller cookies). Chill for at least 2 hours, until firm enough to slice, or, preferably, overnight; the dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
4. Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a couple of cookie sheets with parchment paper.
5. Remove the log from the fridge. If the dough is too hard to cut without crumbling, wait for 10 to 20 minutes, until it is still firm but sliceable. Use a sharp knife to cut the log into 1/4-inch-thick slices and place them 1 1/2 inches apart on the lined cookie sheets.
6. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until light golden brown at the edges; rotate the sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking. Set the pans on racks to cool completely, or slide the parchment liners onto racks. The cookies keep in an airtight container for at least 1 month.