This recipe came from a Nana who posted in our Forum. Does anyone watch The Soup on E!? I am laughing because I am thinking of that clip last week of Spencer from The Hills talking about “Nana” while typing this. If you don’t watch The Soup, it is one of the most hilarious shows on TV. DVR it if you have time in your schedule, it’s worth the 20 minutes to watch!
Anyway, we tried this cookie recipe on Monday. Not being a cook, it was the first time I had made cookies from scratch, and I was so happy that I tried it! It was worth the time and energy because my daughter had so much fun using the cookie cutters and decorating. And seriously, is there ANYTHING better than a home made sugar cookie? I have been guilty of having them for breakfast with coffee! Eek!
Here is what Nana wrote:
“As the holidays approach I think a great activity for little ones is “helping” make cookies. I’m a Nana and used this recipe for my own little ones years ago. This recipe was taken from Sunset Magazine October 1978 and still makes a great cookie. Here is the recipe:
3/4 cup butter or margarine at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
About 3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon each baking power and salt
Decorative toppings
Beat butter and sugar together until creamy. Beat in eggs and vanilla, and set aside. In another bowl, stir together 2 3/4 cups of the flour, baking power and salt; add to butter mixture and stir to form a soft dough (we used more flour than this, because the dough was really sticky. Keep adding flour until it does not stick to your hands.) Chill for at least 2 hours, but you can make it ahead and chill up to 3 days. Let dough come to room temperature before using.
Divide the dough into equal portions. On a lightly floured board roll each portion 1/8″ thick. Cut with cookie cutters and bake in a 400 degree oven until lightly browned on an ungreased cookie sheet (you have to watch them closely to make sure they don’t overcook or burn. When they start to brown slightly around the edges, take them out and let them cool completely on the cookie sheet.)
Powdered sugar frosting recipe:
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Food color, if desired
Combine powdered sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon butter, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract in small mixer bowl; mix until powdered sugar is moistened. Beat at medium speed until smooth, adding additional milk if necessary to reach desired glazing consistency. Tint with food color, if desired.
It is good to let the cookies cool completely before decorating. You can then decorate with colored frosting, sprinkles, colored sugar, etc. Happy baking!