sugar cookie better homes and gardens recipe

One of our longest running family Christmas traditions is to make my dad's mother's sugar cookies. I made these with my grandmother Ellanor (or Tutu as I called her) each winter a week to a day before Christmas. I remember wearing our aprons, standing in my parent's kitchen with the tile countertop, getting covered in flour, and sneaking bits of finished dough into my mouth. Even though my grandmother passed away about 10 years ago, we have continued to make these scrumptious cookies that always put me immediately into the holiday mood even in sunny California.

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Some years my dad makes the dough and sometimes I make the dough and some years we make it together. But no matter who makes the dough, we always do the icing and decorating altogether. Usually, we triple this recipe so we have 6 dough halves wrapped in plastic. We end up with about 120 cookies! But believe me, they go fast.

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It's always fun to roll out the dough, sprinkle everything with flour, and use cookie cutters old and new. These cookies come out slightly tanned on the bottom and soft cream color on top. My mom makes the frosting each year and once we all work together to frost and decorate them, they are deliciously addictive. Santa would approve. Here are our cookies:

Christmas Sugar Cookies ©EverydayCookingAdventures

Grandma Ellanor's Sugar Cookies

Makes: approximately 36 cookies, depending on size of cookie cutters

Ingredients

2/3 cup butter, softened on the counter
3/4 cup sugar
Grated orange peel zest from 2 oranges
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
4 tsp. milk
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. Kosher fine salt
Cookie Cutters
Powdered Sugar Icing (see recipe below)
Decorative sprinkles

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. In a large bowl, thoroughly cream butter, sugar, orange peel, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium for 30 seconds.

2. Add egg and beat until light and fluffy. Stir in milk.

3. Sift together dry ingredients and blend in creamed mixture.

4. Divide dough in half. Chill one hour or overnight.

5. On a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll half of the dough at a time until 1/4 to 1/8 inch thick. Using cookie cutters, cut dough into desired shapes. Place 1 inch apart on a greased cookie sheet.

6. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are very lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack; cool.

7. Once the cookies are completely cooled, prepare Powdered Sugar Icing (recipe below). Spread and/or pipe the icing onto cookies.and top with sprinkles and/or candies.

Powdered Sugar Icing

Ingredients

2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
4 Tbsp. milk
Optional, food coloring dye

Directions:In a bowl, combine powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in milk. Stir in additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until icing reaches spreading consistency. If desired, tint with paste food coloring.

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