Amerikaner oder Teebotchen (Americaner Cookies)

This is a traditional German cookie recipe that Anthony learned on his mission. They taste kind of like sugar cookies, except that they are fluffier and have more of a vanilla taste to them. You can choose to frost the bottom-sides with chocolate frosting or eat them as-is. Yummy!
(P.S. Because the recipe was all in German and we had to translate it from grams into cups and teaspoons, the measurements are estimates... but we made them and they turned out really good!)

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup + 1 T. sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
a little salt (take a pinch)
1 T. + 1/8 tsp vanilla pudding mix
3 T. milk
2-1/4 cup flour
1 T. baking powder

1. Cream butter and sugar. Then add vanilla, eggs, and salt. (<-- This whole mixture is called Teig.)
2. In separate bowl, combine pudding mix and milk to make (really thick) pudding.
3. Mix flour, baking powder, pudding and Teig (the creamed mixture in step 1).
4. On greased cookie sheet, lay 2 T. of dough 1-2 inches apart.
5. Bake 10 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Take cookies out of oven and quickly brush them with milk.
7. Bake 5 minutes more until golden brown.

Icing is an option. You can make this sugar glaze if you like:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1-2 T. warm water
Mix.

...or spread store-bought chocolate frosting on, another flavor, or simply just eat them as-is. If you choose to frost them, flip them over and frost the bottom-sides. The bottoms are easier to frost. :)

Makes about 20 cookies. Recipe from Schwester Anton.