I am so very sorry it took me this long to get you the soft sugar cookie recipe. These are just like the ones you can buy in a supermarket: soft, bland and loved by kids. Soft Sugar Cookies for a crowd 1 cup butter 2 cups sugar 2 eggs 2 tsp vanilla 1 cup milk 4 tsp. baking powder 6 cups flour 1 tsp. salt Cream the butter and the sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Alternate milk and the flour mixture to the batter. Refrigerate before rolling out dough. (I roll out onto parchment paper so I don't have to add more than a sprinkling of extra flour). Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. When cool, ice with your favorite icing and decorations. (My MIL notes here "Uf bitm the cookies are horrible!") My kids adored these cookies and they are very spoiled about homemade goodies.

ere are two recipes that I like. Hope you have success with them! Chocolate Cut Out Cookies Cookie type: cut outs This is another recipe from www.cookierecipe.com. The recipe was submitted by Robin J. The cookies will puff up slightly. The recipe makes about 6 dozen cookies depending on the cookie cutter. Ingredients 1 cup butter or margarine 2 cups white sugar 3 eggs 2 teas vanilla 3 cups flour 1 teas baking powder 10 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder Directions Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; add eggs, beating well. Mix in vanilla. Combine flour cocoa powder and baking powder, add to cream mixture. Mix well. Cover and chill for 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Divide dough in half. Roll out each half to ¼ inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters. Place on lightly greased cookie sheets. Decorate. Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Decorate. Cut-Out Chocolate Cookies Cookie Type: Cut-out This is another recipe out of HersheyÂs Best-Loved recipes. Good texture and taste. It makes about 3 dozen cookies depending on the size of your cookie cutters. Ingredients ½ cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened ¾ cup sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 ½ cups flour 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa ½ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt Directions: Beat butter, sugar, egg and vanilla in a large bowl until and fluffy. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to butter mixture, blending well. Chill dough about 1 hour or until firm enough to roll. Heat oven to 325 degrees F. On a lightly floured board or between 2 pieces of wax paper roll a small portion of the dough at a time to ¼ inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters; place on an ungreased sheet. Bake 5 to 7 minutes or until no indentations remain when touched lightly. Cool slightly and remove from cookie sheet onto wire racks. Coo completely, decorate as desired. Hints, Tips, Tricks and How to Cheat: I found that the dough cracked when I tried to roll it out after chilling. The dough needs to be at room temperature. The cookies also needed a longer baking period 8-9 minutes. Also, I found that if you roll the dough on a silicone mat that is floured, then cut out the cookies, it makes it easier to get the cookies onto the baking sheet.

Here's a couple thumbprint cookies that are tried & true. Imake them every year. Chocolate Caramel Treasures Cookie type: formed These are another variation of thumbprint cookie. This recipe came from Gourmet Magazine, December 1999. Ingredients For the cookies: 1 stick unsalted butter, softened 2/3 cup sugar 1 egg yolk 1 teas vanilla 1 cup flour 2 tbsp whole milk 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1/4 teas salt 1 egg white, lightly beaten 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts For the filling: 10 (1 x 1/2 inch) plain caramels, 2 tbsp heavy cream For the drizzle: 3 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped Directions For the cookies: Beat together butter, yolk, milk, sugar, and vanilla until well blended. Sift in flour, cocoa, and salt and mix until mixture forms a dough. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll tablespoons of dough into balls, then coat with egg white, and roll in nuts. Place balls 1 1/2 inches apart on a greased baking sheets. Press your thumb into center of the balls to flatten, leaving a depression. Bake until puffed slightly but centers are still soft, 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press centers of cookies again with a spoon. Let cool. Make the filling while cookies are cooling. Heat caramels and cream in a small sauce pan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted and mixture is smooth. Spoon into centers of cookies and cool completely. Make chocolate drizzle one hour before serving. Melt chocolate in a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth. Cool to warm and pour into a heavy-duty sealable plastic bag. Seal bag and snip 1 corner to form a small hole. Drizzle chocolate over cookies and let stand until set, about 30 minutes. *I never bother with the drizzle. I also usually use walnuts and not hazelnuts. ***************** Austrian Jam Cookies Cookie type: formed My mom originally got the recipe out of a magazine years ago. I don’t know what magazine. These cookies nowadays go by the name thumb print cookies. I like to call them Austrian Jam cookies because they sound more sophisticated that way. I usually double the batch. A single batch will make about 15-18 cookies. A double batch, you will get closer to 3 dozen. Ingredients 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened (not melted) 1/2 cup sugar 1 teas vanilla* 1 egg, separated 1 1/4 cup sifted flour 2/3 cup chopped almonds** your favorite flavor of jam Directions Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Beat butter, sugar, vanilla and egg yolk in a medium bowl until fluffy. Stir in flour. Gather dough into a ball, cover and chill for several hours. Roll level teaspoonful of dough into balls. Dip the ball into a slightly beaten egg white. Roll the ball into the almonds. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Space cookies 1 inch apart. These cookies will not spread very much. Press an indentation with your thumb in the middle of the cookie, careful not to go all the way through to the pan. Fill with jam. Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes. *Almond extract can be used in place of real vanilla. ** Generally, I think the almonds are a little too hard for the rest of the cookie. I usually use walnuts or pecans. I like using Polaners preserves for the jam centers. I have also used Smuckers as well as homemade jam.

I have quite a few refrigerator cookie recipes that I found for last Xmas when I needed so many at various times throughout the season. Black-and-White Cookies Makes about 5 dozen cookies. These cookies are known as icebox, or refrigerator, cookies. This type of cookie is made by forming dough into a log or rectangular block and chilling it thoroughly. You can also use different types of dough togethervanilla and chocolate, peanut butter and chocolateÂto make patterned cookies. Cookies are then sliced off the log or block and baked. When slicing the dough, give the log or block a quarter turn after every half dozen or so slices to keep the cookies perfectly square or round. 2 cups all-purpose flour 1?2 cup sugar Pinch of salt 16 Tbs. (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut  into small pieces 1 whole egg plus 1 egg yolk 1?2 tsp. vanilla extract 3 Tbs. unsweetened Dutch process  cocoa powder In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter pieces in 2 additions, pulsing after each addition, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and pulse until the dough holds together. Divide the dough in half. Transfer one-half to a lightly floured work surface and knead in the cocoa until incorporated. Lightly dust the work surface and a rolling pin with flour. Roll out each dough half into a 3-by-9-inch rectangle, 1?2 to 3?4 inch thick; trim the edges to even out. Place each rectangle on a large baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until well chilled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat the whole egg until blended. Set aside. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Using a sharp knife, cut each rectangle into 4 strips about 3?4 inch wide (you should have 4 strips of each color). Arrange 2 chocolate strips and 2 plain strips in a checkerboard pattern, brushing the beaten egg between the strips and gently pressing them together. Repeat with the remaining dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and use a knife to square off the edges of each block. Refrigerate until well chilled, about 30 minutes. Preheat an oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets or line them with parchment paper. Remove the blocks from the refrigerator, unwrap and cut each crosswise into slices 1?4 inch thick. Place them 1 1?2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies feel firm when lightly pressed, about 15 minutes. Let the cookies sit on the baking sheets for 2 minutes, then use a spatula to transfer them to wire racks to cool completely. Holiday Ginger Cookies 1 1/4 c. sugar 1 c. butter softened 1 egg 3 T. molasses 1 t. vanilla 3 c. flour 2 t. cinnamon 1 t. ginger 1/2 t. baking soda 1/4 t. salt Frosting 3 c. powdered sugar 1/3 c. butter softened 1 t. vanilla 1 to 2 T. milk Combine first five cookie ingredients in large mixer bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add all remaining cookie ingredients. Beat until well mixed. Divide dough in half; wrap in plastic food wrap. Refrigerate until firm (1 to 2 hours). Roll dough to 1/8 inch thickness and cut out cookies. (I do not like to roll and cut cookies, so I just rolled them in nice loaves and sliced 1/8 inch cookies. Also do not use the frosting.) Bake 6-9 minutes at 375 degree oven. Quick to make and a mild ginger taste. Land O Lakes Soft Baking Butter box. White Chocolate Raspberry Slices Cynthia Monroe, Manchester, CA Cynthia Monroe won a blue ribbon at the Mendocino County fair for these pretty, easy-to-make cookies. PREP AND COOK TIME: About 45 minutes, plus about 1 hour to cool MAKES: 3 dozen cookies About 1/2 cup (1/4 lb.) butter or margarine, at room temperature 1/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla About 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 cup raspberry jam 2 ounces white chocolate, chopped 1. In a large bowl, with a mixer on medium speed, beat 1/2 cup butter, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Stir in 1 1/4 cups flour, then beat until dough comes together. 2. Divide dough into thirds. On a floured surface, with the palms of your hands, roll each portion into a 9-inch-long rope about 1 inch thick. Place ropes 3 inches apart on a buttered 12- by 15-inch baking sheet. Press your finger into dough to make 1/2-inch-wide indentations at 1-inch intervals along each rope. Spoon 1/4 teaspoon jam into each indentation. 3. Bake ropes in a 350° regular or convection oven until edges are lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet. 4. Place white chocolate in a plastic sandwich bag, pushing to one corner; secure bag just above chocolate with a twist-tie or knot. Immerse corner of bag in a cup of hot water until chocolate is melted. Dry bag, then, with scissors, cut off the tip of the corner. Squeeze bag to drizzle white chocolate decoratively across ropes. Chill until chocolate is firm to touch, about 1 hour, then cut each rope diagonally into 12 slices. SANTA'S WHISKERS This slice and bake cookie filled with cherries and pecans is rolled in coconut. The cookie's name has been passed through generations of bakers. Preparation 40 min.  Chilling 1 hrs.  Baking 12 min.  Ingredients: *  1 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, softened* *  1/2 cup sugar *  1/2 cup powdered sugar *  1 egg *  1 teaspoon vanilla *  2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour *  1 1/2 cups red and/or green candied cherries, halved *  1 tablespoon all-purpose flour *  1 cup coarsely chopped pecans *  3 cups sweetened flaked coconut Instructions: Combine butter, sugar, powdered sugar, egg and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add 2 1/4 cups flour. Continue beating until well mixed. Combine cherries and 1 tablespoon flour in small bowl; toss to coat. Stir in cherry mixture and pecans by hand; mix well. Shape dough into 3 (10x1 1/2-inch) rolls on plastic food wrap. Roll each in 1 cup coconut. Wrap tightly. Refrigerate until firm (1 hour). Heat oven to 350°F. Cut rolls into 1/4-inch slices with sharp knife. Place 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until edges are very lightly browned. *Substitute LAND O LAKES® Soft Baking Butter with Canola Oil right from the refrigerator. Yield:  10 dozen cookies SLICE & BAKE SHORTBREAD COOKIES Form the refrigerated cookie dough roll into a variety of geometric shapes: circles, squares or triangles. Preparation 40 min.  Chilling 2 hrs.  Baking 7 min.  Ingredients: *  1 cup LAND O LAKES? Butter, softened* *  1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar *  1 teaspoon vanilla *  2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour *  1/2 cup sugar *  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon Instructions: Combine butter, brown sugar and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add flour. Beat, scraping bowl often, until mixture leaves side of bowl and forms a smooth, soft dough. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a 6x2-inch round log. Wrap each log in plastic food wrap; refrigerate at least 2 hours. Heat oven to 375°F. Cut logs into 1/4-inch slices with sharp knife. Place 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until lightly browned on edges. Let stand 5 minutes before removing from cookie sheets. Combine sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. Roll warm cookies in cinnamon-sugar mixture. VARIATION: Marbled Slice & Bake Shortbread Cookies: Melt 2 (1-ounce) squares semi-sweet baking chocolate** in 1-quart saucepan over low heat; cool 5 minutes. Prepare dough as directed above. Remove half of dough from bowl; set aside. To remaining dough in bowl, add cooled melted chocolate. Beat at low speed just until mixed. Divide white and chocolate doughs into 2 pieces each. Shape each piece into a 6-inch log. Press and mold together 1 white and 1 chocolate log to create marbled effect. Shape marbled dough into 6-inch log. Repeat with remaining 2 pieces of dough. Wrap each log in plastic food wrap; refrigerate until firm (at least 2 hours). Slice and bake as directed above. Roll warm cookies in 1/2 cup sugar. *Substitute LAND O LAKES® Soft Baking Butter with Canola Oil right from the refrigerator. **Substitute 1/3 cup real semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled. Yield:  3 1/2 dozen cookies Vanilla Nut Ice Box Cookies 1/2 c. shortening 1/4 c. Br sugar (firmly packed) 1 c. sugar 1 egg 1 1/2 t. b. powder 2 c. flour 1/8 t. salt 1 c. chopped nuts 1 1/2 t. vanilla Cream sugar, shortening, eggs. Add rest of ingredients and mix well. Pour out on board and roll to shape of log and chill. Slice. Bake 425 degrees for approx. 10 minutes. Makes 3 1/2 doz. If wrapped in waxed paper, dough will keep several days. WALNUT BUTTER COOKIES The dough for these simple cookies can be done ahead and refrigerated for up to two days before being sliced and baked. 2 cups all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar 1 large egg 3/4 cup walnuts, toasted, chopped Powdered sugar Sift flour and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar in large bowl until light. Beat in egg. Add flour mixture and beat until well blended. Stir in walnuts. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into 8-inch-long, 1 1/2-inch-wide log. Wrap each log in waxed paper and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes, or refrigerate up to 2 days. Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut dough logs crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick rounds. Place rounds 1 inch apart on 2 ungreased baking sheets. Bake until cookies are light golden around edges, about 15 minutes. Transfer to racks and cool 10 minutes. Place powdered sugar in shallow dish. Turn cookies in powdered sugar to coat completely. Cool on racks. (Can be prepared 3 days ahead. Store in airtight container.) Makes about 4 dozen.  Bon Appétit November 1998 Rugelah Dough 8 oz. small curd cottage cheese 8 oz. softened sweet (unsalted) butter 2 cups flour Mix butter and cottage cheese. Add flour. Mix like for pastry using cutter or forks. Form into 6-7" flat square. Refrigerate overnight or at least several hours. Cut chilled dough square into 3 equal sections. (Re-refrig. other 2 sections.) Roll out the section between an 18 inch length of wax paper folded in half lengthwise. Rolling the dough the length only brings the dough to about 4" wide by about 14" long and 1/8th inch thick. (Keep chilled, handles easier.) Filling 8 oz. seedless raspberry jam 8 oz. raisins 8 oz. walnuts Chop raisins and walnuts together in food processor (or grind together in meat grinder.) Spread each rolled-out dough with 2 heaping tsps. of the jam. Spread 1/3rd of the nut/raisin mixture evenly over dough. Using the wax paper to help, roll-up dough jellyroll style - about a 1 1/2 roll - @. page 1 of 2 page 2 of 2 Topping 1 tsp. cinnamon 3 Tblsp. sugar Mix together and sprinkle generously over top of each log. Roll the log up in the self-same wax paper and refrigerate for at least one hour. Baking Preheat oven to 375º F. Remove one log from frig.; unroll and cut log into one inch pieces; place on parchment covered cookie sheet so turned-under part is down and "roll" is standing upright - @ . Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely . Repeat for other 2 logs. Makes about 45 cookies from 3 logs. Hope these help