Donna's Sugar Cookies

These are one of the favorite cookies to make with your children. The good 'ol sugar cookie!

These are the cookies you cut out into christmas tree, snow man, and candy cane shapes and then decorate with colored frosting and colored sugars and other little decorative candy.

These are also a fun way for your children to make home-made Christmas gifts by decorationg their own sugar cookies and then packaging them in a basket or decorative plate and giving as a gift to Grandma or other relatives.

You can also make a hole on the top of the cookie before baking and after they are done and decorated use a ribbon through the hole to hang the cookies on your Christmas tree until Christmas Day.

So get your cookie cutters, colored frosting, colored sugars and ribbons ready - and make some Christmas fun with your kids today!

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable shortening
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons almond extract
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
Colored sugars, jimmies, non-pareils or dragées (optional)
Decorating icing (optional)

Preparation:

In a mixing bowl, beat together sugar and shortening until light and fluffy.
Stir in eggs, sour cream and almond extract; beat well.
In another bowl, stir together flour and baking soda.
Stir flour mixture into shortening mixture until well combined.
If necessary, add enough extra flour so that the dough forms a ball.
Divide dough into 4 parts.
Wrap each part in plastic wrap and chill about 2 hours.
Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
Roll out to 1/4-inch thickness between two sheets of waxed paper.
Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters.
Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
If desired, decorate with colored sugars, jimmies, or dragées.
Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges of cookies are golden.
Allow to cool one minute on cookie sheets and then remove to wire racks to cool completely.
If cookies were not decorated before baking, decorate with icing and sprinkle with cinnamin candies, sugar, or colored sugar.

Here are some great cookie cutters to use when making these sugar cookies!



These make cookies that can stand up!



Here are some other supplies for these cookies like food coloring for the frosting, colored sugar, and nonpariels. (NOTE: When looking on the page for these there are some really good bargains if you get 2-3 of these Wilson candies/decorations together for just $10-$12!)



This one is especially good for making Christmas trees!