This is my favorite sugar cookie recipe. It makes a huge batch so you may want to halve it or freeze some of the dough for later use.

NO FAIL SUGAR COOKIES
This recipe is GREAT when using complex cookie cutters. The dough holds its' shape and won't spread during baking. Make sure you let your oven preheat for at least 1/2 hour before baking these or any other cookies.

6 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or desired flavoring (I like almond myself)
1 teaspoon salt

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Mix dry ingredients and add a little at a time to butter mixture. Mix until flour is completely incorporated and the dough comes together.

Chill for 1 to 2 hours (or see Hint below)

Roll to desired thickness and cut into desired shapes. Bake on an ungreased baking sheet at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until just beginning to turn brown around the edges. This recipe can make up to 5-dozen 3" cookies.

HINT: Rolling Out Dough without the Mess -- Rather than wait for your cookie dough to chill, take the freshly made dough and place a glob between two sheets of parchment paper.

Roll it out to the desired thickness then place the dough and paper on a cookie sheet and pop it into the refrigerator. Continue rolling out your dough between sheets of paper until you have used it all. By the time you are finished, the first batch will be completely chilled and ready to cut. Reroll leftover dough and repeat the process! An added bonus is that you are not adding any additional flour to your cookies.

Marigene, your roll-out method is awesome awesome awesome.

Thought I'd mention that. :)

I'm not an expert, but the Monkey Princess, Bruvver and I always bake cookies. This is the recipe I usually use, although the kids like a different recipe that's "puffier". It's harder to frost the cookies, though, if they are puffy, and they don't hold their shape as well.

These rise, so they don't hold indentations and such as well as a cookie with less leavening, but they have a nice flavor:

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1. Combine baking soda and sour cream.
2. Cream butter and sugar.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, blending well after each.
4. Blend in vanilla.
5. Blend in sour cream and baking soda.
6. Combine baking powder and flour and add to sour cream mixture.
7. Refrigerate until easy to handle, usually at least an hour.
8. Roll out dough about 1/2 inch thick and cut into shapes.
9. Bake at 325º for 8-10 minutes, or until light brown.

I just use a powdered sugar type icing for decorating with the kids, but if I wanted something very precise I'd go with a royal icing so I could pipe an outline and then fill it in.

Good luck, those cookies in that link are very cute. I can't imagine doing all the writing on that "accepted" letter, though!

Annie

Here's my recipe....not at all "puffy" as that's the way my grand kids like them....so you can tell the tow truck from the jeep and the brontosaurus from the tyranosaurus rex. I have 6 grandsons.....could you guess?

Sugar cookies:
1 cup of butter
2 cups of sugar
Cream together and add
2 eggs beaten with 2 T milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla ( I like a bit more)
Mix with the butter mix
Add 3 cups flour mixed with 1/2 tsp salt....and as much as 1/2 cup more flour until it's stiff enough to roll out
Make flat patties, wrap and refrigerate for an hour or longer....
Dust board with flour and roll and cut...
Bake 375 for 8 to 10 minutes....I use parchment on the cookie sheets....if you don't have parchment....lightly grease the sheets.
The absence of baking powder keeps them from rising and keeps the cookies true to the shape of the cutter.....and makes them crisp

marigene, annie, lindac, thank you for those wonderful looking recipes. I am going to try each of them. I am going to try marigene's method of rolling out--what a great idea!

Thank you all for your time!

Trudy

Just wanted to say I used marigene's recipe this past holiday season and the cookies were fabulous....just like I remember my grandmother's sugar cookies. The roll-out technique was a life-saver.

The BEST cut-out recipe is from Taste-of Home and contains 3 oz of cream cheese. They are so much flavorful and rich tasting then plain sugar cookies. I remember it was from an Easter issue.

stir_fryi, was this the recipe? Thanks!

Here is a link that might be useful: Cut Out Cookie

Trudy, if you're still looking, I recently did an entry on sugar cookies. So here is another recipe I've always used and loved, not only for its taste, but the dough is very easy to work with. It has no leavening, so details stay intact, after baking.

You'll also find a bit of info, in regards to icing detailed cookies, which may save you time.

Sol

Sol, I am going to try that recipe too. And what a gorgeous site--I'm going to get that 2nd cup of coffee and enjoy your site--cleaning can wait. ;-)

Thank you!!

Sol, my friend, I was hoping you'd "pipe" up. LOLOL Get it, "pipe". Ahem. Never mind.

I love the little fondant faces, now you know I'm going to have to look for one of those molds. Jezebel. Temptress. I'll bet I could use them for chocolate too.

That's why I love you, you are such a bad example. LOL. Oh, and check your email. Chase is going to be in town on Saturday!

Annie