Sugar Cookies

 

Sugar Cookies are great any time of the year. Every year for Christmas, we make holiday shaped sugar cookies.  I still use my mother's cookie cutters. As my kids and I make cookies together, I remember back to the times when my mother and I made sugar cookies together. Her dad lived with us as well and he would sit in the kitchen and wait to have those cookies come out of the oven so he could begin eating.  Her dad loved to eat cookies! I think they were his favorite food ever!!

Ingredients

2 c. butter, room temperature
2 c. sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
2 Tbs. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. baking powder
6 c. flour
Extra sugar for top of cookies

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one.  

Pour in the vanilla and mix well. Scrape the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl to make sure everything is evenly mixed in.

Turn the mixer down to low and add the baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Mix in the flour, 2 cups at a time.  The dough should be thick, stiff, and not sticky. It should not be crumbly either.

Fill a small bowl with sugar to roll the balls in.

Remove a tablespoonful of dough. Gently roll the dough between the palms of your hands into a 1-inch ball. Roll the balls in the sugar, coating all sides evenly. 

Place the sugar cookies on a cookie sheet, spacing them about an inch apart. 

Dip the bottom of a glass in sugar and then flatten each sugar cookie ball. Dipping in sugar will keep the dough from sticking to the glass and it will give just a bit more sugar on the top.  

Bake 6 to 8 minutes depending on the size and thickness of the cookies.  Watch the cookies and remove from the oven just before they turn brown all around the edges. Do not over bake.  The cookies will come out of the oven puffy, but as they cool, they will fall. So when you see that, it is nothing to worry about.

Allow the cookies to cool for 4 to 5 minutes, then remove and place the cookies on wire racks to cool.

If you want to make shaped or cutout sugar cookies, remove some of the dough from the bowl.  Roll out on a lightly floured surface until it is 3/8" thick. Cut out in shapes with a cookie cutter. If the dough sticks to the cookie cutter, you can either dip the cookie cutter in flour, or sugar to keep it from sticking. 

Frost or decorate if desired.