Sugar Cookies

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Sugar Cookies

December 11, 2011 by Heather Heston

Day 11 of the 12 days of Christmas cookies!

Sugar Cookies. I think all holiday cookie trays should have sugar cookies on them. Be it spritz cookies, soft, pillowy sugar cookies, or cut out and decorated sugar cookies. Just something about them that people enjoy.

We are going to keep it a little easier than all those beautifully decorated cut-out sugar cookies. Those are wonderful and yummy, but oh so time-consuming. Not this year my friends. This year I’m making Lofthouse Sugar Cookies. The recipe calls for sour cream and gives the cookies a nice softness that you don’t normally get with cut-out sugar cookies. Make your own frosting, or use store-bought (I won’t judge!). Add some decorative sprinkles and you are all set!

Lofthouse Sugar Cookies
Adapted by: Authentic Suburban Gourmet
Makes 5 to 6 dozen

Dough:
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups sour cream
3 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 cups flour

Frosting:
1 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons heavy cream

Sprinkles/decorations (optional)

Do not preheat oven- dough needs to chill.

In a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Add in vanilla, sour cream, and eggs. Let mix for 1 minute, then stop the mixer and scrape down the sides. Turn the mixer back on low-speed and add in the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add flour, one cup at a time. Once all the flour has been incorporated, turn off the mixer. Divide the dough in half, and wrap each portion in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

While the dough is in the refrigerator, make the frosting. In a medium-sized bowl, with a hand-held mixer, cream together the butter and vanilla. Add in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, alternating with the heavy cream. Note: if you want to color your frosting, you can do so at this point. Once the frosting is fluffy, set aside.

After 2 hours, preheat your oven to 425 degrees and remove 1 portion of the dough from the refrigerator. On a flat surface, dust with flour. Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. Using a cookie cutter, biscuit cutter, or a glass (looking for about 2 1/2 inches diameter), cut out your cookies. Transfer to a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, leaving 1 inch between cookies. Bake your cookies for 8-10 minutes, depending on the thickness. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, move cookies onto cooling racks and let cool completely (repeat with the 2nd portion of dough).

After the cookies have cooled completely, you can frost them and decorate them however you like. I went with red, white, and green sprinkles. Return the cookies to the cooling racks and let the frosting set, about 1 hour. Enjoy!