Berger Cookies

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, salt, vanilla, and baking powder. Beat in the sugar, then the egg.

Add the flour to the wet ingredients alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Do this gently; there’s no need to beat the batter.

Using a teaspoon cookie scoop, drop the dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. Flatten each mound of dough to a circle about 1 1/2 inch across; wet your fingers or a knife, or grease the bottom of a drinking glass or measuring cup to do this. Leave 2 to 2 1/2 inches between each cookie, for expansion.

Bake the cookies for 11 to 12 minutes, or until they’re a mottled brown on the bottom (carefully tilt one up to look), but not colored on top. You may see the barest hint of browning around the edges, but these cookies are supposed to be soft and cake-like, so don’t over-bake them. Cool the cookies on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

Dip the flat bottom of each cookie into the fudge; swirl the cookie around to really give it a good coating. Set cookies back on the baking sheet, or on a rack. Spread remaining fudge evenly atop the cookies. It’ll feel like you’re piling on a lot of fudge; that’s precisely the point! Allow to set, then store airtight in a single layer.