One of my favorite things to do during the Christmas season is to bake cookies with my best friend, Courtney. She’s an excellent cook, so with her help I manage not to burn down the house.
It always proves to be a fun day. We listen to Christmas music, chit-chat, laugh a great deal, and usually end up covered head to toe in sugar and icing. The kitchen may look like a war zone when we’re finished, but the cookies are quite yummy.
A few years ago Courtney found this recipe online (posted by Jill Saunders) and I must say that we are big fans. It’s our cookie of choice to create. The prep process is simple and decorating is fun – even if they don’t come out looking like they were made by professional pastry chefs…
Since we love this recipe so much, I thought I’d repost it for those of you who might be interested in making holiday treats as well. …And sorry, no ghastly pictures of me in my fancy apron.
Enjoy!
Rolled Sugar Cookies
One of the best sugar cookie recipes ever.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups butter (softened)
- 2 cups white sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
Directions:
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with cookie cutter(s). Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Let cool completely. Apply icing and decorate as desired.
This recipe is attributed to Jill Saunders, and can also be found here. It’s simply one of my favorites and I wanted to share.
Tips:
When rolling out the dough, I frequently use sugar as well as flour on my counter to keep it from sticking.
When decorating the cookies:
- It is recommended to mix milk and powdered sugar together – as well as any desired food coloring – to make a very “thin” icing that can be applied more easily and precisely.
- However, instead, I personally prefer to sprinkle them with colored sugar prior to placing them in the oven (they are sugar cookies after all).
