Never Fail Sugar Cookies Food

NEVER-FAIL CUTOUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Beat butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour. Divide dough into 4 portions; shape each into a disk. Cover; refrigerate until firm enough to roll, about 30 minutes., Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with floured 3-in. holiday cookie cutters. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets., Bake until edges are light golden, 12-14 minutes. Cool on pans 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely., For frosting, beat confectioners' sugar, butter, shortening, vanilla and enough milk to reach desired consistency. If desired, tint with food coloring. Spread or pipe over cookies. Decorate as desired.

NO FAIL SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar for 2 minutes on medium speed. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix until combined. Add the flour and baking powder. Mix until combined.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Roll out dough on a floured surface (keep dough about 1/4" thick, or thicker if that's what you prefer). Use cookie cutters to cut into your desired shapes. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
• Place the baking sheet in the freeze for 10 minutes.
• Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. Can frost with royal icing, store-bought icing or homemade frosting.

GRANDMA'S SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream the sugar, butter, vanilla and salt. Add eggs and mix well. Combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda; add to creamed mixture. Chill until firm, about 1 hour., On a floured surface, roll dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut shapes with cookie cutters; place on greased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 7-12 minutes (depending on size) or until light golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool completely., In a large bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, extract and enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Tint with food coloring. Decorate cookies as desired.

GRANDMA AMICO'S BUTTERMILK SUGAR COOKIE CUTOUTS

Steps:

• Mix sugar, shortening, buttermilk, and egg together in the bowl of an electric stand mixer (such as KitchenAid®) until creamy.
• Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla extract, and salt in a bowl. Beat into sugar mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Leave dough to set in a refrigerator for at least 2 hours to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Roll dough out on a lightly floured work surface using a lightly floured rolling pin to desired thickness. Cut into shapes using cookie cutters and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until bottoms begin to lightly brown, 8 to 12 minutes. Let cookies cool completely on wax paper or a wire rack, 15 to 30 minutes.
• Combine confectioners' sugar and milk in a bowl. Mix into a paste, adding more sugar or milk as needed. Spread frosting thinly onto cooled cookies and cover with sprinkles.

BEST-EVER SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk and extracts. Combine the flour, salt, baking soda and nutmeg; gradually add to creamed mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or until easy to handle., On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with floured 2-1/2-in. cookie cutters. , Place 1-in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375° until edges begin to brown, 8-10 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For icing, in a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, water and meringue powder; beat on low speed just until combined. Beat on high until soft peaks form, 4 minutes. Cover icing with damp paper towels or plastic wrap between uses., Working quickly, spread or pipe icing over cookies; let dry at room temperature for several hours or until firm. Use small new paintbrushes or toothpicks and food coloring to make designs on the cookies. Let stand until set. Store in an airtight container.