This is the only sugar cookie recipe you will ever need if you're going to make them from scratch. Just allow enough time to chill and roll out and cut. That takes me longer than anticipated. This is the recipe my mom made during the Christmas holidays when I was little and my parents had their annual New Year's Day party. She would bake them ahead of time and store them in Dayton's Oval Room dress boxes. (If you aren't from MN that means designer clothing boxes, they were sturdier.) Mom would then hide the cookie boxes because kids would find them and lower her count. We definately ate more than the ones she set aside for family use.
This is her recipe, unedited. I have to note that I cannot roll the cookies as thin as she did and still get them to look pretty, so I roll 'em thicker and cook longer. At least the taste is there! I even have the original cookie cutters in my vast collection. This year I didn't get around to making these until the New Year had a few days under its belt so I made moons.
Sugar cookies are good any time of the year.
INGREDIENTS - MAKE UP TO 2 DAYS AHEAD - Dough needs to chill at least 1 hour
1 cup butter, softened
1 egg
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp Vanilla
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
STEPS
Cream butter and sugar til fluffy. Beat in egg. Sift flour with powder and salt and add to mixture. Add vanilla and stir in walnuts. Chill @ 1 hour. Roll out 1/8 " thick on board and use cookie cutters to cut into shapes. Place cookies on baking sheet, sprinkle with decorative sugars and bake at 400 for 8 minutes or until edges turn gentle brown. Watch carefully and adjust baking time as needed.
4 Paws! Spot got some dough, accidently.
