Sugar Cookies - The Cookie Cutter Kind

 

It is honestly not the holidays in my house unless there are sugar cookies. Usually, I attempt to make the perfect light, thin, and crisp sugar cookies but those are nowhere near picture worthy. Instead I used the same dough and rolled them out to drop cookies and this is what resulted. Also, my family is torn between soft and chewy and thin and crispy sugar cookies. This year, I satisfied both parties! Which side do I prefer? Thin and crispy of course.

I'm still working on finding the perfect thin and crispy recipe that is easy to roll out and use cookies cutter with. I'm guessing I have to find a recipe that uses more flour so I'll let you know when I find it. These cookies are great for decorating but sometimes I like them just they way they are, plain.

I have used a recipe from Sunsets cookbook for years but in order to achieve the thin and crispy cookie, I had to modify the recipe to make the cookies airy and lighter. I ended up replacing all of the granulated sugar with powdered sugar and in the end, I achieved light and airy cookies but it was too soft to roll out and use cookie cutters. Either way, I prefer taste and flavor over appearance any day. I guess it doesn't hurt to have a pretty appearance either because I get pretty pictures like these!


Sugar Cookies
modified from Sunset Cookies

Ingredients
3/4 cup butter, softened
1-3/4 cups powdered sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Directions
1. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until creamy; beat in eggs and vanilla.
2. In another bowl, stir together flour and salt, gradually add to butter mixture, blending thoroughly to form soft dough. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (at least one hour) or for up to three days.
3. On a floured board, roll out dough, a portion at a time to a thickness of 1/8 inch (keep remaining portions in refrigerator). Cut out with cookie cutters and place slightly apart on ungreased baking sheets.
4. Bake at 400 F for 8-1- minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Transfer to racks and let cool completely before handling. Store in an airtight container.

Yield: 4 dozen