1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly cool
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
Sift the flour, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl.
Cut the butter into about 32 pieces and distribute them through the flour mixture. Rub the pieces into the mixture with your fingers and continue to work the mixture with your hands until all the ingredients hold together and form a dough, 4 to 5 minutes.
Measure out generously rounded teaspoonfulls of the dough and roll them into balls with your hands. Place the balls 1-1/2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Use the prongs of a fork to flatten the cookies into 1/4 inch thick by making crisscross indentations on the top.
Bake the cookies until they are lightly golden in the center and a bit darker around the edges, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool the cookies on the sheets, then store them in an airtight container.
