Recipe Friday: Sugar Cookies

This is my favorite sugar cookie recipe. When my kids were little, I would make sugar cookies and decorate them, then monogram each of their classmates name on a cookie for them. We would decorate the girl's cookies in pink, the boy's in blue. (I realize it is not very creative, but it wasn't cheesy, the blue wasn't pastel, it was OK) It was so fun. Since the kids have grown, I use a little bite sized cookie cutter and make a batch of these for work. When done decorating,they look like the little candy hearts in the box, only prettier, and definitely better tasting!!!They are so pretty, I tint the frosting in all kinds of different colors and pipe rosettes around the outside edges.

Sugar Cookies

1 C. Sugar
1 C. butter
2 eggs
2 T. milk
1/3 t. soda
2 ½ C. flour

Stir together first 5 ingredients. Mix flour in to form a soft dough. (occasionally you might need to mix in more flour, do so a little at a time, so the cookies won’t be tough.) Roll dough to about 1/4" and cut into shapes, bake at 350 F. for 6 min. Cool and decorate. I cut the dough a little thick, I like soft cookies.

Before I pipe rosettes onto the cookies, I use a simple glaze of white icing all over the top of the cookie. Then I use the following recipe to decorate with piped flower onto the cookie.


Decorator Icing

½ C. solid vegetable shortening
½ C. butter or margarine
1 t. vanilla
4 C. powdered sugar
2 T. milk

Mix butter and shortening with mixer, add vanilla, gradually add sugar 1 C. at a time. Beat well on Med. Speed-scrape sides & bottom of bowl often, when all the sugar is mixed in, it will appear dry. Add milk and bead on high until light and fluffy. Keep covered with a damp cloth until you use it. Keep icing in refrigerator when not used, covered tightly. It will keep for 2 weeks, whip before using. Yield: 3cups