Butter Rings — The Cookies That Ended Up on a Table Full of Miracles

Linda rang the bell. The radiation bell. The one they ring when your treatment is finished. She rang it on a Wednesday, with Tom and me and Megan standing in the hallway of the cancer center, and the sound of that bell — small, bright, absurdly cheerful — was the best thing I've heard in six weeks.

She is in remission. The oncologist said the words and Linda nodded like she'd been expecting them, like cancer was a rude houseguest who had overstayed and she'd finally shown it the door. Tom shook the oncologist's hand. I hugged Linda, which is not something I do publicly — Kowalski men — but I did it and I did not care who saw. Megan cried. Megan cries at everything beautiful, and Linda ringing that bell was the most beautiful thing any of us had seen in two months.

I cooked a massive celebratory dinner that night. Every Polish dish Babcia ever made: pierogi (three kinds), golabki, bigos, the mushroom soup, Babcia's potato pancakes. Plus Colleen O'Brien's soda bread, because Linda has grown to love it and because this family is Polish-Irish now and the food reflects that. The table was full. Everyone was there — Tom, Linda, Megan, Patrick, Colleen. The table was full and Linda was healthy and the food was hot and I said a prayer I meant for the first time in years. A real one. Not recited. Felt.

After dinner, I called Linda. She said, "Jake, I'm in the next room." I said, "I know. I just wanted to say I love you." Kowalski men historically do not do this out loud. I don't care. The fear of the last two months — the cold, breathless terror of imagining life without my mother — changed me. I call Linda every day now. I tell her I love her. Every time. I will not stop.

Every dish on that table was something Babcia made — the pierogi, the bigos, the potato pancakes — but I needed something sweet to close it out, something that felt like a bow on the whole evening. Butter rings are simple enough that you can make them while golabki finishes in the oven, and they’re the kind of thing that looks like you fussed more than you did, which felt right for a night I wanted to feel special without anything getting in the way of just being together. Linda took three. I didn’t say a word. I just kept refilling her plate.

Butter Rings

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 1 hr (includes chilling) | Servings: 24 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 large egg white, beaten (for brushing)
• 3 tablespoons coarse or pearl sugar (for topping)

Instructions

1. Cream the butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat softened butter and powdered sugar together with a hand mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
2. Add the yolks and flavorings. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, then mix in the vanilla extract and lemon zest until fully combined.
3. Mix in the dry ingredients. Add the flour and salt and mix on low speed just until the dough comes together and no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix.
4. Chill the dough. Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. The dough should be firm enough to roll without sticking.
5. Preheat and prep. Heat your oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. Shape the rings. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. Use a 2 1/2-inch round cutter to cut circles, then use a 1-inch cutter (or the back of a piping tip) to cut out the center of each circle, forming a ring. Re-roll scraps once.
7. Brush and sugar. Transfer rings to prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart. Brush the tops lightly with beaten egg white and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
8. Bake. Bake for 11—13 minutes, until the edges are just barely golden and the tops look set. They firm up as they cool — do not overbake.
9. Cool. Let the rings cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving or storing.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 138 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 15g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 28mg