When I make sugar cookies at Christmas, I use the same copper colored cookie cutters that I used from as far back as I can remember. Several years ago, my aunt was sweet enough to raid the play dough buckets in her preschool classroom and give me her set that matched my mom's. I've not found cutters like them anywhere and I'm so thankful for the ones I have. We always made cut-out sugar cookies at Christmas growing up and I like making this tradition with my own kids. I think I've tried different recipes every time I've made sugar cookies for the past several Christmases now. I was never quite happy with the one I got from my mom--it didn't always hold its shape well and it calls for shortening rather than butter. I think I've finally landed on a keeper though. This recipe is featured on multiple food blogs, so I don't really know the original source to be credited here, but I most recently used this blog as my jump off point. I find that a medium thickness bakes up perfectly and makes them still a little soft and not overly crunchy. But if you like crunchy, just roll a little thinner!
Sugar Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 extra large egg
1-2 Tbs milk (possibly)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour, lightly scooped or filled
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Cream together the butter and the sugar for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add egg. If your egg is on smaller side, add the 1-2 Tbs of milk and the vanilla. Mix in the dry ingredients until dough forms. If it looks dry, add a bit of milk. This is just depending on how much liquid your egg did or did not provide.
Place dough in a bowl and cover well. Refrigerate for at least one hour or up to several days. Can also be frozen.
When ready to roll and cut cookies, sprinkle counter with flour. Roll out to about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with cookie cutters. Place on baking pans and bake at 350F (180C) for about 8-10 minutes--until the dough looks set and dry on top. If cookies are thinner, the edges will start to brown. Adjust time to your oven, thickness of cookies and soft or crunchy preference. It helps to bake a test cookie or two.
You can top these with a buttercream frosting (this can be made with all butter and no shortening)--or even this simpler variation-- and sprinkles, eat plain or even sprinkle with some sprinkles prior to baking if you don't want the added frosting!
Enjoy!
Variation: Use 1 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp almond extract for a wonderful flavor change!
Sugar Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 extra large egg
1-2 Tbs milk (possibly)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour, lightly scooped or filled
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Cream together the butter and the sugar for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add egg. If your egg is on smaller side, add the 1-2 Tbs of milk and the vanilla. Mix in the dry ingredients until dough forms. If it looks dry, add a bit of milk. This is just depending on how much liquid your egg did or did not provide.
Place dough in a bowl and cover well. Refrigerate for at least one hour or up to several days. Can also be frozen.
When ready to roll and cut cookies, sprinkle counter with flour. Roll out to about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with cookie cutters. Place on baking pans and bake at 350F (180C) for about 8-10 minutes--until the dough looks set and dry on top. If cookies are thinner, the edges will start to brown. Adjust time to your oven, thickness of cookies and soft or crunchy preference. It helps to bake a test cookie or two.
You can top these with a buttercream frosting (this can be made with all butter and no shortening)--or even this simpler variation-- and sprinkles, eat plain or even sprinkle with some sprinkles prior to baking if you don't want the added frosting!
Enjoy!
Variation: Use 1 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp almond extract for a wonderful flavor change!
I use almost this exact recipe for my Christmas cookies. The milk and vanilla amounts are slightly different, and we bake them at 400 instead of 350. We originally got it out of an old Pillsbury cookbook, the one that was a yellow binder.
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