1-1/2 cups butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
FROSTING:
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons whole milk
Food coloring, optional
Colored sugar
1. Cream butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, salt, baking soda and cream of tartar. Gradually beat into creamed mixture. Refrigerate, covered, for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with floured 2-1/2-in. cookie cutters. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on wire racks.
3. For frosting, beat confectioners' sugar, butter, vanilla and enough milk to reach desired consistency. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring. Cut a small hole in the tip of a pastry bag or in a corner of a food-safe plastic bag; transfer frosting to bag. Pipe decorations. Sprinkle with colored sugar.
Prize Winning Recipe
These are one of my favorite cookies to bake for Christmas. The dough recipe is versatile and you can use it for other holidays, too. Children like to help with decorating.
TOTAL TIME: Prep: 35 min. + chilling Bake: 10 min./batch + cooling
YIELD: about 7 dozen.
Freeze option: Freeze undecorated cookies, layered between waxed paper, in freezer containers. To use, thaw and decorate as desired.
Nutrition Facts
1 cookie: 80 calories, 4g fat (2g saturated fat), 14mg cholesterol, 74mg sodium, 10g carbohydrate (6g sugars, 0 fiber), 1g protein.