Sugar Cookies

I have tried several different sugar cookie recipes over the years (I only really make them about once a year so it's not like I've tried thousands or anything) but I think I've finally found my favorite. Mmmmm. There's just something about them. But honestly, what's not to love about sugar and butter with frosting on top?

Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup white sugar

1 cup butter

1 egg, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F .
2. Sift together all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
3. Cut in butter and blend with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Stir in lightly beaten egg, vanilla and cream. Blend well. Chill dough for one hour for easier rolling.
4. On a floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into shapes. Place on ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar.
5. Bake for 6 - 8 minutes, or until lightly brown.

Sugar Cookie Icing Recipe
Ingredients
2 teaspoons milk

1 cup confectioner's sugar

2 teaspoons light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

assorted food coloring colors

Directions
1. In a small bowl, stir together the milk and confectioners sugar until smooth.
2. Beat in corn syrup and the vanilla extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If the icing is too thick, add additional corn syrup to thin slightly.

3. Divide the icing into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to the preferred color intensity. Paint the icing onto the cookies or pipe with decorator icing tubes and tips.

Tips for making perfect sugar cookies:

• If you are rolling the dough to use cookie cutters, remember to keep the dough chilled. As it warms it sticks to the rolling pin and the surface you're rolling on.
• The thinner you roll your dough, the crispier the cookie will be. This recipe calls for rolling the dough 1/4 inch thick, which makes them soft with just the right amount of crispness around the outside of the cookie.
• Soften the butter at room temperature for about an hour or two before mixing. Butter that isn't softened won't mix properly and your cookies will be flat. Do not microwave butter to soften, it will soften unevenly.
• The eggs should also be room temperature. Cold eggs can cause the batter to curdle.
• Halfway through the baking process, take a minute to rotate the baking sheets from back to front for even baking. This step is worth it to prevent unevenly baked batches of cookies.
• If you are making more than one batch, do not put the dough on hot cookie sheets. It will spread as you're placing the dough on the sheet, and baking will be uneven.