I also baked my usual Christmas cookies and mailed them to my sons, and that also lifted my spirits (and theirs!). Here’s the recipe I’ve used for almost thirty years:
Sugar Cookie Cutouts
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1/3 cup shortening
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- dash of salt
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Beat butter & shortening w/an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder & salt. Beat till combined. Add egg, milk & vanilla; beat till well combined. Beat in as much flour as you can; stir in any remaining flour w/a wooden spoon. Divide dough in half; cover & chill for at least 3 hours.
Roll one portion of dough at a time on lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes w/a cookie cutter. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 7 to 8 minutes until the edges are set and the bottoms are very lightly browned. Cool on a rack.
We ice them with plain confectioner’s sugar icing, and decorate with sprinkles. I usually double the recipe when I’m baking for my sons! The trick here is to only roll out the dough once, cut out what you can, then refrigerate that dough while you roll out the other. Then keep repeating until all the dough is used. I find this keeps the cookies from getting tough from too much flour.
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