Melt In Your Mouth Butter Cookies

Ingredients:
Cake:
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup red maraschino cherries, halved
1/4 cup green maraschino cherries, halved

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, combine butter, flour, vanilla and confectioners' sugar. With an electric mixer, beat for 10 minutes (this is the secret!), until light and fluffy. Spoon onto cookie sheets, spacing cookies 2 inches apart. Place a piece of maraschino cherry (make sure it is dried so no juice runs) onto the middle of each cookie, alternating between red and green.
3. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the bottoms of the cookies are lightly browned. Remove from oven, and let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer cookies on to wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container, separating each layer with waxed paper. These cookies are very delicate so handle them with care. Cooling for a few minutes is a must so they can set. You can also top them with a Hershey's Kiss, pecans etc.
~*~ From Suzy ~*~