Friday, October 25, 2013

Classic Sugar Cookies for Christmas


Sugar Cookies are loved by just about everyone.  This recipe I have is much much older than myself and has been in my family forever.  I still haven't found a better sugar cookie recipe than this one.  These come out nice and soft just like everyone likes them.  They have a nice balance to them in terms of sweet and salty.  We always have to make several batches of these each year.  One batch is pretty big.  Let's just say I'm pretty lucky to have a 6 quart stand mixer to mix a double batch of these cookies.  I have an interesting way of making the icing as there is no recipe for it.  I will explain how to do that at the end.  These cookies are great with or without the icing.

SUGAR COOKIES

1 c Butter
1 1/2 c Sugar
3 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
3 1/2 c Flour
2 tsp Cream of Tartar
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt

Cream Butter and Sugar.  Add Eggs and Vanilla, mix.  Add Flour, Cream of Tartar, Baking Soda and Salt, mix.  Chill dough for 3-4 hours (We've skipped this part before and they've turned out good but they expand more this way.  You can chill overnight if that's more convenient for you).  Roll out onto flour and sugar (I usually omit the sugar part).  Cut out into shapes and bake at 350 degrees f for 6-8 minutes or until done.

ICING

Mix a whole bag of powdered sugar with a little bit of butter (probably about a Tablespoon's worth).  The butter helps get the icing soft enough to bite through.  Add milk slowly and in small amounts to the consistency you would like.  I like to make mine a little runny but thick enough to stay on the cookie.  Don't worry if at first you make it too runny.  You can always add more powdered sugar.  Separate into different dishes and add the food coloring to your choice.  Decorate your cookies and allow to air dry a while until the icing is hardened all the way through (it may take about an hour. You can even let sit over night if needed).  There is no need to refrigerate these.



This recipe comes from my very own Mother.

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