Note that while the recipe states it makes eighty cookies, my yield was fifty cookies.

Definitely top with the sugar: it adds the perfect finish to this cookie. Top them all, not just half! The sugar-topped cookies looked more festive and special than those left plain. I substituted raw sugar for the coarse sanding sugar, which worked just fine. Make these to serve with tea, after a Japanese meal instead of green tea ice cream, or whenever you’d normally make shortbread, or a sugar or butter cookie. They are very simple to make and the results look more impressive for the same amount of work as other similar cookies. They look extra-special with the leaf shape, though they’d certainly work with a round cutter, a heart or star, or any of the more standard shapes in the cookie cutter repertoire. Note that it was a good idea to refrigerate the cookies before baking, in order to help preserve the precision of the shape, though it was not necessary. Even the ones that were not refrigerated looked terrific.

Refrigerating overnight is a tempting option for the future, so they could be baked off right before serving. Being able to store them for up to two weeks creates another advantage: Either way, they can be made, in whole or in part, in advance.

These would make a beautiful hostess gift. They are sturdy enough to pack and travel a bit and visually impressive: a little bag or box of these would surely make the recipient feel loved and appreciated!