Sugar Cookies

Every baker has a favorite sugar cookie recipe, I think. This is mine. I use it year round to make seasonal shaped cookies. But I decorate mine with a rich buttercream icing rather than a thin glaze or something lighter. I like sweets. I like my cookies sweet. Just my thing. I've been making these sugar cookies for almost 30 years. Found the recipe in a Better Homes and Garden cookbook of my mom's. I have not yet found anything worth replacing this recipe either.

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (195 grams)

1 cup margarine or butter, softened (8 ounces)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 egg

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (375 grams)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cream of tartar

Buttercream icing (you can find the recipe I use on this blog)

In large bowl, combine powdered sugar, margarine, vanilla and almond extracts, and egg. Mix until smooth.

Add flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Once you have a ball of dough, cover with plastic and refrigerate at least three hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Divide dough into halves. Roll each half to 3/16 inch thick on lightly floured cloth covered board (I've never actually used the cloth). Cut into desired shapes, and place on lightly greased cookie sheet. These don't really spread, so you can place the cookies pretty close together. Bake until edges are light brown, about 7 to 8 minutes. Decorate as desired.