Sugar Cookie Recipe

[Phoebe]

Does anyone have a good one? The one from my Betty Crocker cookbook has failed me one too many times.

I've made these:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recip ... ews/104455

They turned out well. But I'd wait for Jesher. She has a cut-out cookie obsession.

I'm actually trying to find the perfect recipe. So far, these are the best - not only for taste but for the texture of the dough. It's very easy to work with - not fragile at all. I like to change what extracts I use in the dough and the frosting to vary the taste.

Thick Cut Out Cookies

6 egg yolks
4 eggs
2 cups butter, softened
2 1/8 cups white sugar
7 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Cover dough and chill for at least one hour. Preheat the oven to 375 . Grease cookie sheets. On a floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thick and cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters. Place 2 inches apart on to the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.


It makes a lot but the quantity varies based on the size of cutters you're using. If you've got small cookie cutters, then cut the recipe in half.

[Vanquisher]

This is my standby recipe: This makes a very soft sugar cookie (which I love).

4 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, slightly softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup sour cream

Cream butter and sugar together. Mix in eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients. Roll onto floured surface. (You can refrigerate, but it is not necessary. The dough will be sticky, but you can be liberal with flour..the less flour you do use though, the softer they will be). Cut out cookie shapes. Bake in a 350 degree oven until set edges may be slighly golden. Do not overbake. About 10 minutes.

Icing:

powdered sugar
milk
food color
vanilla (optional) - unless you have clear vanilla, this will alter the color of your icing. You could also use other colorless extracts

Mix to desired consistenecy and color. This icing dries shiny and smooth.





Also, if you want a hard, decorating frosting to pipe or do detail work, use this royal icing recipe:

3 Tablespoons Wilton Meringue Powder
1 lb. (4 cups) confectioners' sugar (about 1lb.)
5-6 Tablespoons warm water
food color

This icing is not as tasty and dries very hard. I would use this only for details or edge work if you want perfectly flooded cookies.

Icing

I have a very simple but yummy icing. All it is is:
1 cup of powdered sugar for every 1 egg white. Then add about 7 drops of lemon juice.

It is really simple and really yummy! The lemon juice take the sweetness down a bit so it is helpful to add!

Hope this helps, I am going to be making them tomorrow!