Tasty Tuesday: Sugar Cookies

Jacob and Alyssa made Valentine's Day cookies for their friends at church. Yes, they got them on the 16th, but none of the children seemed to mind!

Cookies
Ingredients:

2 cups butter, softened                                           1 tablespoon butter flavored extract

3 cups white sugar                                                  7 cups all-purpose flour

4 eggs                                                                      2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon vanilla extract                                     1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and flavorings and mix well. Stir flour, baking powder and salt together. Add to batter and mix well.

2. CHILL 3-4 hours or overnight before using.

3. Roll dough approximately 1/4 inch thick and cut cookies.

4. Bake cookies at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes. This dough keeps well in a covered container in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.

Frosting

Ingredients:

4 cups confectioners' sugar                                1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup shortening                                                food coloring

5 tablespoons milk

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, cream together the confectioners' sugar and shortening until smooth. Gradually mix in the milk and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth and stiff, about 5 minutes. Color with food coloring if desired.

 

 

We baked the cookies on Tuesday and frosted them on Wednesday. We halved both recipes, and used almond extract instead of butter extract. The cookies themselves are tasty even without frosting. Jake said over and over, "Mmm, these are delicious!"

The kids always enjoy rolling, cutting, and  decorating. I bought a little decorator bottle set from Pampered Chef (as seen in the post here.) The bottles are perfect for their little hands. Also, we can have 3 different colors without emptying and refilling my large Decorator Pro. There are not as easy to fill, and we did have a casualty early on when the purple top popped off, but overall, I love them.

 

They were so proud and excited to give the cookies to their friends and teachers on Wednesday night. It makes me happy to see my kids with a giving spirit. "It is better to give than to receive."