sugar cookies and frosting

thanks to an early Christmas present to myself, i can make festive sugar cookies all year round!  the cookies pictured above were decorated at my sister-in-law’s house Christmas eve.  it was a fun way to get into the Christmas spirit!  here are the recipes that you will need:

rolled sugar cookie recipe

• 1 1/2 c butter, softened
• 2 c white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 5 c all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt

1. 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).
2. preheat oven to 400°.  roll out dough on floured surface 1/4-1/2″ thick.  cut into shapes with any cookie cutter.  place cookies 1″ apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven.  cool completely.

(courtesy of: allrecipes.com)

after these bad boys are done baking, you’ll want to frost them with something delicious.  because i tend to be on the messy side, i like to make several smaller batches of this frosting and dye it.  i made three batches of this size to frost the aforementioned cookie recipe.  here is what you will need.

buttercream frosting

• 2 c powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp margarine from the tub
• dash of salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• a few drops of milk

1. in a small bowl, start by adding the powdered sugar.  add remaining ingredients.
2. beat well with a fork.  if the mixture is runny, add more sugar.  if mixture is too thick, add a few more drops of milk.
3. add food coloring as desired.

frost your cookies and as always,

enjoy!