Our Favorite Christmas Recipe

I’ve had these sugar cookies on the holidays for longer than I can remember. Granny would bake and frost dozens and dozens for her church and the nearby college, and would pass them out when they stopped by to sing Christmas carols. She always spent so much time making different shapes and frosting them each to perfection. My mom carried on the tradition, always making them to bring to mine and my brothers’ class parties as we were growing up. Soon enough, friends were requesting them from me all the time.

They are the most yummy, buttery, soft sugar cookie… exactly what cookie dreams are made of. They may not have the delicately detailed designs that sugar cookies with royal icing can achieve, but man do they taste good! We’ll be making our first batch this afternoon, and I can’t wait!

The recipe is too good to not share, Granny wouldn't want us to keep it a secret (well... maybe she would but she'll be happy to know her tradition lives on)! Be sure to let us know if you bake a batch!

Granny’s Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups all purpose flower

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth. Mix in eggs and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Blend in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover and chill for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll the dough to 1/4 thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut out desired shapes and transfer them to baking sheets. Bake 6-8 minutes or until just lightly brown.

Cool cookies completely prior to frosting.

Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

4 cups powdered sugar

1 stick softened butter

3 to 4 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

Combine sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes, until creamy. We always start with 3 tablespoons of milk, and add more only if needed. The frosting should spread but be a fairly thick consistency so it doesn’t run.

I hope you enjoy these as much as our family does - they make great tins to share if you're having get-togethers these next two weeks. You'll be the hit of the party!

Happy holidays to all of you!