Christmas Cookies

This is the best sugar cookies recipe!  Growing up, I loved making and decorating sugar cookies each holiday with my family.  It was like an edible art project-so much fun!  It’s a lot to make the dough and ice all in one day, so I usually make the dough in advance and double the recipe.

Ethel's Sugar Cookies

 Betty Crocker's New Picture Cook Book (1961)

3/4 cup shortening (part butter)

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Mix well shortening, sugar, eggs and flavoring.  Measure flour by dip-level-pour method or by sifting.  Blend flour, baking powder and salt; stir in.  Chill at least 1 hour.  Heat oven to 400*F .  Roll 1/8" thick on floured board.  Cut with cookie cutters.  Place on ungreased baking sheet.  Bake 6 to 8 minutes.  Makes about 4 dozen. 

When cookies are cool, ice & decorate with the following icing.

ButterCream Frosting

1/3 c. butter, softened

3 c. sifter powdered sugar

2 tbs milk

1 ½ t. vanilla

In Uganda,  we decorated them with some of the local staff's children at the Christmas party. This is one of my favorite pictures-she wasn't sure what to think! "So sweet!" they say.