I have to admit: dessert is one of my major food groups. I love a chocolate milkshake or a decadent slice of cake but I have to say a good cookie is my go-to. Cookies are good (especially a chocolate chip or sugar cookie) no matter the season and I am always “in the mood” for one.  It may be their easy, convenient size or the fact that you can pop two or three without feeling the full guilt of a big slice of cake. Either way, cookies of all kinds are my favorite – especially for holidays. I love celebrating and entertaining and think a festive shaped cookie is an easy way to add a homemade and colorful touch to the spread. Needless to say, I have way too many cookies cutters and am always collecting more to make sure I am covered for any occasion that comes along. Because my shaped cookies are usually for a crowd, I use my go-to sugar cookie recipe so everyone is happy. It is also my best recipe for shapes because the dough doesn’t spread when heated so the shapes you cut are the shapes you get when you pull them out of the oven. It’s a super easy recipe and one I know you’ll love.

Perfect Sugar Cookie Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
1 ½ cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Make It:

1. Beat butter in mixture until soft and whipped.
2. Add in sugar, eggs and vanilla until completely combined and smooth.
3. Gradually add flour into mixture until mixed in. Add baking powder and salt.
4. Shape dough into small 1″ – 2″ balls (for regular sugar cookies) or roll out large dough ball on counter with rolling pin and prepare to cut out shapes.
5. With selected cookie cutters, cut out shapes and place on cookie sheet. (This dough will not spread so I pack the pan pretty tightly).
6. Bake at 325 degrees for 10-15 minutes (depending on your oven) or until lightly golden. This dough will not color the same as other cookie doughs. If you wait until the tops are a darker color, the bottoms may be burnt.
7. Remove from oven and let cook on wire rack before icing.

Icing:

For this round of cookies, I kept the icing simple. There are several great recipes out there for homemade buttercream or royal icing, but since these were prepared only a few minutes before guests arrived, I chose to use the vanilla can frosting I had on hand. I always keep a jar in my cabinet for just such occasions and then add in the amount of food coloring I need to get my colors. You, of course, can always opt to not ice the cookies but I don’t recommend it if you are preparing them for a party. The recipe makes a good sugar cookie, but can tend to be a little on the basic side without the extra flavor of the icing. You also don’t want a plate full of beige cookies. The icing adds much needed color to the setting. I used a spreading knife and piping tips to get each cookie just right.