Sugar Cookies (Cut-outs)Yield: About 20 4" cookies Ingredients: |
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Directions:
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 - 4 minutes). Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until you have a smooth dough.
Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm enough to roll. While waiting for your dough, preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Remove one half of the chilled dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Keep turning the dough as you roll, making sure the dough doesn't stick to your work surface. Cut out your cookies using your favorite cookie cutters and transfer cookies to the prepared baking sheets. Place the baking sheets with the unbaked cookies in the refrigerator for 10 - 15 minutes to chill the dough. This will prevent the cookies from spreading and losing their shape as they bake.
Bake cookies for about 10 minutes (depending on their size) or until they begin to brown around the edges. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Optional: To make these cookies even more delicious, frost them with buttercream (see recipe below) after they have completely cooled.
Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients:
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons milk
Paste food coloring
Directions:
In an electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth and well blended. Add the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beater with a rubber spatula. Add the milk and beat on high speed until frosting is nice and smooth. Add food coloring of your choice to the frosting and beat until color is consistent throughout. Using a small knife, spatula, piping bag, or implement of choice, frost your cookies.
Note: This frosting is also fabulous when spread over Spritz Cookies.
