Here's my long time favorite cut out cookie dough. If I remember correctly it was originally in a BH+G magazine in the late 70's. I usually double it in my KA mixer and usually make at least three bowls of the dough. I have a very large tree shape cookie cutter (about 9") and love to make and decorate special cookies for those that love cutouts.
This dough is one that you can roll thick, if you like a softer cutout, yet still holds up.

CREAM CHEESE COOKIES

1½ C sugar
1 C unsalted butter
1 8oz pkg cream cheese
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp almond extract
3½ C flour (I like unbleached)
1 tsp baking powder

In a mixing bowl cream sugar, butter and cream cheese until fluffy.
Add egg and flavorings, beat smooth'
Stir together the flour and baking powder, add to creamed mixture and mix thoroughly.

FOR CUT-OUT COOKIES
Chill dough. Roll out on surface dusted with a mixture of ½ powered sugar and ½ flour, ¼ to ½ inch thick depending on your preference. Cut into desired shapes. Place on ungreased cookie sheet ( I line with parchment paper) and bake in a 375° oven 8-10 minutes. Watch for the edges to just barely begin to brown if you like a moist cookie. Cool and frost.

COOKIE PRESS COOKIES

Divide dough into portions and add desired colors. Force through cookie press onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake in a 375° oven 8-10 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet and cool on wire rack. Before baking brush with slightly beaten egg white and sprinkle with colored sprinkles if desired.
Note...I have added about 4 oz of almond paste to the dough when making the cookie press cookies.....yum!

FAVORITE ICING FOR CUTOUT COOKIES

2 c powered sugar, sifted
2 Tbsp softened butter
¼ tsp vanilla
¼ tsp almond extract
1 egg white
¼ C milk or cream

Combine egg white and milk, set aside.
Beat together powered sugar, butter and flavorings.
Add small amounts of the milk mixture until icing is spreading consistency.
Tint with desired colors.
Using the egg white will give you a nice finish on the icing, the butter will keep it soft on the inside.

Nancy

I hope you're not offended by this question, but I have to ask -- do you have much if any experience making and icing cut-out cookies?

If not, I really suggest you make a different kind of cookie. Goodness knows there are many varieties of cookies that are great alternatives. Here's why.

Cut-outs, especially with icing -- even the "simple" icing you're talking about -- are just fussy cookies to make. Now, I say this as the queen of fussy cookies with a very high tolerance for fussiness in baked goods generally. Even as an experienced baker of fussy cookies, however, just yesterday I was reminded again why I don't make cut-outs every year at Christmas. They're a pain in the behind. Rolling and cutting and baking and icing are time consuming and, well, fussy -- at least it is if you want the cookies to look and taste good. And icing cookies so that they look good is much more difficult in practice than you might think.

If you're set on cut-out cookies anyway, and these are for adults, then be sure to make a really good tasting cookie. I always use a ginger cookie for cut-outs because I think the taste and texture is better than that of most sugar cookies. My favorite recipe is a Bea Ojakangas Christmas ginger cookie recipe. I don't have it handy, unfortunately. Also, the King Arthur Flour cookie book has excellent detailed instructions and recipes for icing cut-out cookies.

Wizardmom: Thanks for the recipe.

Marymd: No, I do not have much experience in making cookies. I am a co-chair of a luncheon and we always give little tokens to each person in attendance. Our theme is tiaras and we thought it would be cute to make cookies in the shape of a tiara with pink icing. I only have to make about 20 cookies, so I did not think that it would be that stressful. Maybe I am mistaken ??!!

Do you have a tiara cookie cutter? Don't even think about hand cutting the cookies. Yes they are fussy and a PITA. I just spent the last 3 days cutting and decorating Sugar Cookies, Stained Glass cookies and Pepparkakor. Today will be spend washing all the cutters, dealing with the sugars and sprinkles, and putting them away.

But without the cutouts it's never quite Xmas. And 20 cookies isn't too bad if you allow yourself enough time.

How about cupcakes iced with pink frosting and then find a little tiara decoration to stick on top of it? I imagine you could find little plastic tiaras somewhere for such a purpose.

Well, I don't think you can go wrong using SharonCB's Aunt Doe's shortbread.

Here is a link that might be useful: Aunt Doe's Shortbread

Yes, I already have a cookie cutter. Do you think the shortbread cookies would work with a cookie cutter. During the holidays I sometime recieve cookies from one of the cookie basket companies and I always think they are so adorable. I would like to make the cookie, then wrap it and put one at each place setting at lunch. Do you guys really think I am getting in over my head.??

Oh heck! If you have the time to do so, give the cookie cutter cookies a try. If they don't turn out that great, you can always go to a plan B. How do you ever learn if you don't try?

jmrdolfan, absolutely 99% of the time I use cutters with it.
And I am one that thinks you are NOT getting in over your head.
20 cookies with pink icing and then outlined in white is a great idea..

Can you find any silver dragees? Those would be perfect to "touch" the points of the tiara...(Do they even still make those?)

I'd do royal icing for the white outline.

and pink creamcheese buttercream.
4oz butter
4oz cream cheese
1 t vanilla
3 cups or so powdered sugar
and enough milk, cream or half n half to make it spreadable but thick.

Here is a link that might be useful: Royal Icing with eggs and with meringue powder

Terri and BC are right -- if you only have to produce 20 presentable cookies and you already have the cookie cutter, take a shot at it. I had visions of dozens and dozens of fussy cookies, and I was fresh from the trauma of the annual cut-out cookie cussing.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to my cookie cutter dilema....one question....if I do either the royal icing or the cream cheese frosting....do they need to be refrigerated? I think I am going to attempt to make a batch this week with hanukah cookie cutters for the family and then in january for my luncheon make the tiara ones.

I have been doing a search for the drages to put on the top of the tiara...but so far to no avail. However, I have not given up!!

Here's a link to purchase them online. However, be aware that they DO NOT ship to California as they have been banned there.

I can't offer advice, but I hope you go for it! It sounds like a potentially fun project.

Why are dragees banned? I don't know anything about them except what they look like.

Sally

mjrdolfan, if you have a sur la table near you, you can probably get the dragee's there. I did. Call first. I may have some which I can pass to RS and we can send them to you. Get there in no time.

This one is from Marigene, i've never made it but I've seen great pics of her cookies. It says no fail so maybe this would be good recipe for you.

NO FAIL SUGAR COOKIES (Marigene)
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.
posted CF marigene

Sally-- my state likes to keep us safe from anything and everything. I'm amazed I don't get a roll of bubble wrap with my tax forms.

Some lawyer thought that the silver could build up over time and kill someone. Someone who ate a couple of tons, maybe. The piece below is from 2003.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bay Area faces holidays without little silver balls on baked goods

These are not cookie cutters but they are simple to make and delicious. I just made icing for them with about ½ cup icing sugar, enough milk just to make it runny and put red sprinkle on them to look more Christmas like.OOps forgot to say they are shortbread cookies.
{{!gwi}}

Hi everyone..I decided to make cookies tonight to try them out...dishesdone...I used your recipe and they were very delicious! Terry...I actually was going to use aunt doe's shortbread cookie recipe until I found out that my ds gf used my powdered sugar. I will frost them tomorrow...wish me luck!

mjr, I wish you much luck...atleast the ones you made now tasted good!

You've got to get more Powdered sugar so you can try the Aunt Doe's!!!
My favorite way to eat them is cut into small shapes..(say 2 bite size) and dip half in bittersweet chocolate or drizzle generously the whole cookie with the bittersweet chocolate...HEAVEN!

I'm always looking for a perfect sugar/butter cookie (delicious and easy to roll and cut).

Marigene's cookies are absolutely perfect, and now I can toss all of the others I've collected. My grand daughter and I had a wonderful time baking cookies together.

Thank you so very much.

I meant to say I can toss the other sugar/butter cookie RECIPES I've collected... I wasn't thinking about tossing my cookies!

Silly me.

I need help!! I am trying to post pics of my cookies, but cannot figure out how...please help

I usually refer to this webpage for the codes for adding links, images, etc.

I think you have to have your pictures uploaded to a photobucket or a picturetrail first. I use picturetrail. It's free and pretty easy. Then after you upload, right click your image you want, copy image location, then use the tags explained on that page in the link

http://www.picturetrail.com/

http://austen.com/tutorial/

Here is a link that might be useful: How to add smiley's & Images

I made Marigene's Sugar Cookies today and they are wonderful! I've now got bells, trees, stars and hearts all decorated and hanging on the tree! Thanks for posting these!

I made them, too....turned out great! I am so happy to have a recipe that tastes just like my grandmother's.

I made the Aunt Doe's shortbread with the Marigene rolling technique for my toddler. We cut and just sprinkled for decoration and it was perfect. Good cookie, little mess, easy easy easy! The other recipes look pretty good too, but c'mon...three ingredient cookies when you've got a kid singing at you are hard to pass up. Messier to eat than to make.

Thanks for all the recipes y'all!

What did I do wrong??????????

I made the dough exactly as listed in Marigene's recipe....however, when i put them in the oven they turned into a soggy mess. Could I have waited too long between rolling out and cutting before putting them in the oven???? I have to make these cookies ASAP. I have the rest of the dough in the fridge. I am going to attempt to put another batch in the oven later today so that the dough is completely chilled.

OY!! The ones I made over the holidays were wonderful. Hey.... maybe I made these too thick? is that a possibility? any help would be appreciated