It really is hard to beat freshly baked cookies. Leave aside for a moment the deliciousness of the finished product; the simple act of cooking them makes your whole house smell like heaven.

But who has the time to whip up a batch of cookies every time a guest shows up at your door? Or every time you get a craving? Actually, if you rely on these refrigerator cookies, you do!Refrigerator cookies pre-date refrigerators. In the 1920s, they were known as icebox cookies. Whatever they're called, they've survived because they're wonderful: easy to make, easy to store and delicious. You make a batch of dough, roll it up in a log, then store it in the refrigerator or freezer. When the moment is ripe, you slice off and bake up as many cookies as you want, then return the unused part of the log to cold storage.This recipe is ridiculously simple a boon to one and all, including the baking-impaired as long as you follow a few rules.Always take the butter out of the refrigerator 35 to 45 minutes before mixing the dough, which makes it soft enough to mix easily. Then beat together the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, or "creamed," which prepares the batter for leavening. But don't let the butter get too soft or your cookies will flatten out like pancakes in the oven.I've flavored the recipe with vanilla bean and vanilla extract. Vanilla beans are fantastic, but they're pricy, so if you don't want to spring for one, just add another tablespoon of the extract. If you do use a bean, don't discard the pod after scraping out the seeds. Instead, you should rinse it, dry it and drop it into your sugar jar, where it will slowly infuse your sugar with the scent of vanilla.Add the dry ingredients to the dough and mix it all together until the dry ingredients are just incorporated, but no more. When flour is combined with moist ingredients (in this case the butter-egg mixture) and beaten, the gluten (protein) in the flour starts to develop. Beating it too much at this stage will make your cookies tough.It also is key to chill the dough after mixing it, otherwise it will be too soft to roll. When the dough becomes cold enough to hold its shape, divide it in half and shape each into a cylinder 2 inches in diameter. Then, with the help of a sheet of kitchen parchment, you can smooth out the cylinder. Twisting the ends of the paper, firecracker style, further compresses and smooths the log. Done! Now your dough is ready to refrigerate or freeze.One final tip: Every time you remove the log to slice off some cookie rounds, rotate it slightly as you slice it so as not to squish the dough flat on one side.This recipe offers five variations on the basic cookie. These options will come in particularly handy during the holiday season. Show up at the party with a tin of mixed cookies and you'll be greeted like Santa every time.Vanilla Refrigerator CookiesThese easy refrigerator cookies can be prepped ahead, then refrigerated for several days or frozen for several months until the moment (or craving) is right.Start to finish: 3 1/2 hours (30 minutes active)Servings: 4 1/2 to 5 dozen cookies1 vanilla beanThree-quarter cup sugar12 tablespoons (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened1 large egg1 tablespoon vanilla extractOne-and-one-half cups all-purpose flourOne-quarter cup cornstarch1 teaspoon baking powderOne-half teaspoon table saltPowdered sugar (optional)Using a paring knife, cut vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Use tip of knife to scrape seeds out of the pod and into a medium bowl. Discard pod. Add sugar and butter, then use an electric mixer to beat on medium until mixture is light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Add egg and vanilla extract, then beat for another 2 minutes.In a second bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and beat just until combined. Cover and chill until firm enough to be shaped, about 1 hour.Divide dough into 2 pieces. Place a 12-inch piece of kitchen parchment on the counter. Set one piece of dough on the parchment, then use parchment to shape dough into a log about 2 inches in diameter and about 10 inches long. Wrap dough in parchment, twisting the ends to seal. Repeat with remaining piece of dough using a second sheet of parchment.Refrigerate wrapped dough for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. The dough also can be frozen for up to 3 months.Heat oven to 375 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.Remove dough logs from refrigerator and slice into quarter-inch rounds. Arrange rounds 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake just until edges start to become golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool. Pack in an airtight container. Serve lightly dusted with powdered sugar, if desired.VariationsLemon: Use 1.5 tablespoons lemon juice and 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract in place of vanilla bean, and add 1 tablespoon vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons grated lemon zest to the flour mixture.Orange: Follow lemon variation directions, but substitute orange zest and juice for lemon zest and juice.Ginger: Add one-third cup finely chopped crystallized ginger and 2 teaspoons ground ginger to flour mixture. These may not slice neatly once frozen, but just pat them back together on the baking sheet.Peanut butter: Add half cup chunky peanut butter to butter mixture and increase flour by 2 tablespoons.Double chocolate: Substitute a quarter cup unsweetened cocoa for cornstarch, eliminate vanilla bean and add just 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Add 2 cups semisweet chocolate mini-chips to the flour mixture. This will make 6 dozen cookies because of the added chips.Nutrition information per serving: 40 calories; 20 calories from fat (50 percent of total calories); 2.5 g fat (1.5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 10 mg cholesterol; 5 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 2 g sugar; 0 g protein; 30 mg sodium.