Add the room temperature butter and sugar to the bowl of stand mixer or large mixing bowl. Using the paddle attachment or a hand held mixer, mix on medium speed until the butter and sugar are creamed together and are light and fluffy.
¾ cup butter, 1 cup white sugar
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg, vanilla paste or extract, and vinegar. Mix on medium speed until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla paste, 1 teaspoon white vinegar
In a seperate bowl combine the flour with the baking soda and salt. Whisk to disperse the salt and baking soda throughout the flour. Add ⅓ of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and blend on low speed until incorporated. Repeat with another ⅓ of the flour and then repeat with the remaining flour mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
2 cups all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon fine grind sea salt or kosher salt
Line a 9x13 pan with plastic wrap and press the cookie dough into the pan in an even layer. Cover and chill for about 10 minutes while you make up the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Cinnamon Sugar Mixture
Combine the white sugar with the ground cinnamon in a small bowl and mix well.
6 Tablespoons white sugar, 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator and take off the top layer of plastic wrap. Brush the top of the dough with vanilla paste (see recipe notes if you are using vanilla extract).
1 ½ Tablespoons vanilla paste
Remove about 2-3 Tablespoons of the cinnamon sugar mixture and reserve for later. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar over the top of the vanilla paste leaving about 1" uncovered along the long edge of the dough.
Rolling the Cookie Dough into a Log
Using the bottom layer of plastic wrap fold about 1" the long edge of dough that is furthest away from you over onto the rest of the dough. Continue rolling using the plastic wrap to help lift the cookie dough to roll it until you just about about 1" left. Using the plastic wrap closest to you, roll the long edge up onto the rest of the roll and wrap the plastic wrap around the entire log. Smooth the seam out so the cookie dough is sealed. Refrigerate the wrapped log for at least 30 minutes.
Slicing & Baking
Preheat the oven to 350℉/175℃. Line a cookie tray with parchment paper.
Unwrap the log of cookie dough and sprinkle the reserved cinnamon sugar mixture over the entire log. This is optional but gives a nice cinnamon sugar edge to the cookies.
Line a cookie tray with parchment paper. Remove the plastic wrap from the cookie log and cut in half. Wrap one half and refrigerate until you are done baking the other half of the cookies. Refrigerating makes it easier to slice the thin slices of cookie dough.
Slice the other half of the cookie log into ¼" slices and lay each slice on the cookie tray about 2" apart. Bake on the middle rack at 350℉/175℃ for 10 minutes or until the edges just start to turn golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let cool about 2-3 minutes on the tray and then remove the cookies and cool completely on a cooling rack. Repeat for the remaining cookies. Serve & Enjoy!
In the cookie dough, you can substitute vanilla extract for the vanilla paste without any problems. You would use 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract in the cookie dough.
If you want to use vanilla extract to brush on the cookie dough in place of vanilla paste, then I recommend adding 1 Tablespoon of the extract to about 1-2 Tablespoons of powdered sugar until a thin paste forms. You can also use 1-2 teaspoons of corn syrup, maple syrup, or honey so the mixture is slightly sticky and will help the cinnamon sugar stay in place. Honey and maple syrup will change the flavor slightly.
Here are some recommendations for cookie width and baking time to achieve the texture of cookie you love!
Crisp Cookies: Slice ¼" width cookies and bake at 350℉/175℃ for 10 minutes.
Crisp on the outside edges, but soft in the middle: Slice cookies ½" thick and bake at 350°F/175℃ for 10 minutes.
Soft Cookies: Slice ½" thick cookies and bake at 350℉/175℃ for 8 minutes.