The Tastiest Sugar Cookies (EVER)!

This sugar cookie recipe comes from a good friend of my mom’s, Jan Ford, who has made these cookies for countless of our family’s celebrations. The kids (and adults) gobble them down like they’re going out of style. A few years ago, I asked Jan for the recipe, so we could make these cookies for Santa. We also make them and deliver them to our neighbors for the holidays.

They are a sturdy, delicious sugar cookie and I could literally put a straw in the frosting and slurp it down, it’s so good! This time of year there are many cookie recipes plastered all over the internet and each one says that they’re the best, the tastiest or the easiest to make. This sugar cookie recipe is truly all three! I hope you like it as much as we do!

Sugar Cookie Cutouts

Ingredients:

½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup vegetable shortening
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar

Directions:

In bowl, with mixer on medium speed, cream butter, sugar and shortening until fluffy, beat in eggs and vanilla extract. In separate bowl, sift flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. With mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture. Cool the mixed sugar cookie dough in the refrigerator for one hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On floured surface, roll dough 1/8 – inch thick and cut into shapes. (If dough gets soft, chill 10 minutes.) Reroll scraps; cut shapes. Repeat with remaining dough. Transfer to baking sheets and bake for 10 minutes. Let cookies cool for five minutes. Decorate as desired.

Icing

Ingredients:

½ cup unsalted butter, softened
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 pounds powdered sugar
¼ – ½ cup milk

Directions:

In bowl, mix together softened butter, salt and vanilla extract. Gradually beat in powdered sugar and milk to desired consistency. Divide icing into different bowls, tint with food coloring as desired. Decorate cookies and let icing harden for 30 minutes.