Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened (226g)
3/4 cup granulated sugar (150g)
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (265g)
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the softened butter and sugar until creamy and well-combined.
Add the egg yolk, vanilla extract, and salt to the bowl and beat well. To make sure all of the ingredients are combined, scrape along the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Gradually add the flour to the bowl while mixing on low speed until the flour is completely combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
Fit a large piping bag with an Ateco 827 piping tip and transfer half of the cookie dough into the bag.
Pipe cookies onto an unlined and ungreased cookie sheet in swirl shapes. Make sure the cookie sheet is not hot or warm.
Place the cookie sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies start turning golden brown.
Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
If desired, melt chocolate chips and shortening together in the microwave in 20-second increments, stirring well in between until smooth.
Dip the cooled cookies into the melted chocolate and place them on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet. Decorate with nonpareils or sprinkles if desired.
Let the chocolate harden before enjoying. To speed up the process, you can place the cookies in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.
Enjoy these delicious butter piped cookies, optionally dipped in chocolate and decorated with sprinkles!