Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Sugar Cookies

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DAY 12: The ultimate classic cookie, adaptable to any holiday or occasion. I love this dough because it bakes up just slightly puffy in the middle and (unless you overcook them!) the cookies stay soft for days and days. The dough and cookies both freeze well, which is good because this recipe makes A LOT of cookies. These are most fun to have little helpers decorate, although I love them most plain, warm out of the oven.

This makes a wonderful soft sugar cookie. Frost with your favorite butter cream frosting, cream cheese frosting or a glacé icing. Check out Our Best Bites’ tutorial on Glacé Icing. Here are two basic frosting recipes, one for a buttercream and one for glacé icing.

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RECIPES:

Sugar Cookies

  • Servings: about 6 dozen
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3 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
About 7 – 7 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Beat sugar, butter, sour cream, and vanilla. Beat in eggs. Add soda, salt, and enough flour to make a moderately stiff dough.

Chill for 20 minutes to 1 hour for easier handling. Roll out dough to desired thickness (I like these fairly thick) and cut with cookie cutter.

Bake at 375°F for 10 -11 minutes; if they brown, it’s been too long.  They should look white when done.

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Buttercream Icing

  • Servings: Makes 3 cups icing
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1 cup butter
1 lb (4 cups) sifted powdered sugar
2 Tbs milk
1 tsp vanilla or other flavored extract (almond is really good!)
Dash salt

Cream butter with a mixer. Beat in remaining ingredients. This yields 3 cups STIFF icing. Add additional milk for a thinner icing.

For Chocolate Buttercream: Add 3 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted and 1 Tbs additional milk.

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Glacé Icing

  • Servings: Makes about 2 cups icing
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1 lb powdered sugar (about 4 cups)
¼ cup+ 2 Tbs whole milk
¼ cup + 2 Tbs light corn syrup
1 tsp almond or vanilla extract
Gel food coloring

With a whisk, combine sugar and milk until smooth. Stir in corn syrup and almond or vanilla extract. Add food coloring for desired colors.

You will use this same recipe for both glazing and piping. The way it is right now is the consistency you want for glazing. It’s smooth and thin. It easily runs off of a whisk in a thin drizzle.

To prepare the icing for piping, add more powdered sugar.

From Our Best Bites

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TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS COOKIES RECAP:
DAY 1:
Swedish Peppar KaKar
DAY 2: Mint Oreo Cookies
DAY 3: Christmas Chocolate Chip Cookies
DAY 4: Cherry Nut Mudslides
DAY 5: Snickerdoodles
DAY 6: Raspberry Almond Linzer Cookies
DAY 7: Peanut Butter Kisses
DAY 8: Peppermint and Vanilla Butter Cookies
DAY 9: Chocolate Rolo and Andes Chocolate Mint Cookies
DAY 10: Russian Tea Cakes
DAY 11: Chocolate Caramel Thumbprints

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5 Comments

Filed under Cookies

5 responses to “Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Sugar Cookies

  1. Sugar cookies! My kids and I love them so much. Thanks for your 12 days of Christmas list. I’ll go ahead and try the Cherry Nut Mudslides and Mint Oreo Cookies this weekend. Can’t wait. Cookies cookies cookies! Who doesn’t love ’em?

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  2. Hi, Kelly, I’m Dave Munson’s mother-in-law and I’ve been pestering Kris for a year to get the recipe for the raspberry linzer cookies that you made for their open house. She sent me the link to your blog and I can’t wait to make those cookies. I swear I’ve been thinking about them for a year! They were the most delicious cookies I’ve ever had. So I’ll be making them this year for Holly & Dave’s anniversary since they’ll be here for Christmas. :)Thanks for sharing, I’ll look forward to following your blog! Heidi

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  3. These look great!! How many cookies did it make?

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