The year my son started preschool was the beginning of the sugar cookie tradition at our house! Every winter, the kids got to spend an entire preschool day in the kitchen, baking and decorating cookies with their teachers and parent volunteers. They then got to share and eat these cookies with their friends and family after their Christmas program in December.
My older two children are 23 months apart (on the dot), so we spent four consecutive holidays making these sugar cookies. The following year, my youngest daughter was not yet old enough to start preschool (she's three years behind her older sister in school), so my kids requested that we continue the annual tradition at home. How could I say no to that?!
At preschool, the kids decorated the cookie cut-outs with sprinkles pressed into the dough
before baking. I figured I could improve upon an already good thing with the addition of some buttercream frosting and then sprinkles
after baking. :) Either way, these are the best sugar cookies I've ever eaten!
Sugar Cookies
Yield: about 4-5 dozen (depends on cookie cutter shapes/sizes)
Ingredients
3 cups powdered sugar
2 cups (4 sticks) butter, room temperature
2 eggs, room temperature
3 tsp vanilla
5 cups
Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar
Directions
1. Make dough day before planning to bake: Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. Blend in dry ingredients. Pat dough into large ball and place inside gallon size Ziploc bag; seal tightly. Chill in refrigerator overnight.
2. Take dough out of refrigerator shortly before rolling out to bake.
3. Preheat oven to 375°F (or 350°F if using convection oven).
4. Open bag and invert dough onto clean countertop. Gently knead dough with hands. Dough will be crumbly at first but will stick together more as it warms up. Roll dough in powdered sugar (not flour!) to 1/4 inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters. Place on ungreased cookie sheets.
5. Bake 5-8 minutes.
6. Let cool 2 minutes on cookie sheet before removing to wire rack to cool completely.
7. Once cool, decorate with buttercream frosting (see below) and holiday sprinkles!
Buttercream Frosting
Yield: 3 cups
Ingredients
1/2 cup Crisco (original kind only!)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 tsp clear vanilla extract*
4 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp milk (I use almond milk)
*Note: Do
not use regular vanilla extract! Using clear vanilla extract keeps the frosting a bright white color.
Directions
1. Stiff Consistency: In large bowl, cream Crisco and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.
2. Thin (Spreading) Consistency: Beat in additional 2 Tbsp milk.
Recipe adapted from
Wilton.
(In case you were wondering, this frosting works great for decorating cakes and cupcakes, too!)
