BEST Sugar Cookies!!

So out of all the sugar cookie recipes I've ever tried, not that I've been baking/cooking long enough to have tried that many..but from the ones I have tried, these are the best, no fail ones. They are so perfect for cut out cookies! I'm not sure where I got the recipe, but last Christmas my mom and I were looking for a really good one because we were going to make tons of those cute cut out Christmas cookies like we used to when I was little. So I searched google and found a couple and we decided on this one and I'm glad we did! They come out perfect everytime. I had a great opportunity back in September to make a bunch of fall themed cookies for my husbands grandparents 65th wedding anniversary. They were having a fall themed get together at my mother in-laws house, and I knew these would be perfect, especially since there were going to be quite a few kids there. I also made some without icing and just put colored sugar crystals on them, but those aren't as photogenic, hence no photos.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Butter or Margarine (I used margarine)

2 Cups Granulated Sugar

2 Eggs

4 Tablespoons Milk (I've used whole and fat-free, either are fine)

2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

4 Cups All-Purpose Flour

4 Teaspoons Baking Powder

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

Directions:

Beat together butter or margarine and sugarin a large mixing bowl. Add eggs, milk, and vanilla, mix until light and fluffy. In small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until it is all incorporated. Chill is plastic wrap for 4 hours. (This is what the recipe says to do, but I have always done it overnight..I just find that it is easier to work with that way)

Roll dough out on a well-floured surface. Using whichever cookie cutters you would like, cut them out and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 Degrees for about 7-9 Minutes. (Mine are usually very slightly starting to turn golden around the edges..I don't like to leave them in too long because I like them to keep that nice sugar cookie color)

You can really decorate these anyway you like, I usually make a basic confectioner's sugar icing that my mom has been using since I was little, just confectioner's sugar and water. You can use milk instead of water if you'd like, I personally think the icing taste great with just water though. To decorate the ones I made I just dyed my icing with food coloring, and I made 2 batches of each color, a super thick batch, and a super thin. The thick batch was for a border so that the thin icing I would put in the middle wouldn't all run off the cookie. For the stems of the pumpkins I used some green sparkle gel that Wilton makes. Also, for the veins of the leaf I bought some brown Wilton food coloring gel. For all of the piping I just used plastic sandwich bags, nothing fancy. When the border had set I spooned the thinner icing in the middle of the cookie and just spread it over until it was evenly coated.

With the holiday's around the corner and a lot of cookie baking to come, I hope some of you will try this recipe, and let me know if you do!