Chinese Butter Cookies

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a standing electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth.

Add the confectioners' sugar and cream until fluffy.

Add the egg and vanilla extract. Slowly sift in the self-rising flour and beat until a smooth dough forms.

Add the dough to a cookie press and attach a star or flower-shape disk. Press the cookies onto the lined baking sheet, leaving 1 inch of space around each cookie.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly golden on top.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before storing. The cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.

Diana Kuan is a food writer and cooking instructor who has taught Chinese cooking in Beijing and New York. Her writing on food and travel has appeared in The Boston Globe, Gourmet, Food & Wine, and Time Out New York, among other publications. She has appeared on the CBS Early Show and other broadcast media. She is the author of the blog www.appetiteforchina.com, which has more than 6.5 million page views, and teaches Chinese cooking at Whole Foods and the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in New York, where she currently resides.