This recipe comes from my friend and former baking teacher Carlo Bussetti. It’s rich and buttery with vanilla and orange overtones, and because the butter is creamed, the baked pastry has a crisp cookie texture rather than flaky layers. This dough is also easy to handle, freezes well (make a double or triple batch) and always comes through.

I began using it years ago to line a baking sheet for Almond Brittle Cookies, but it al