My mother collected cookie cutters for all the seasons but could never seem find a recipe that was easy to roll out and cut. I finally found one in a parenting magazine and have enjoyed getting out the old cookie cutters a few times a year and making these.
Sugar Cookies
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup butter
1 ½ cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon extract
cookie cutters
decorative sprinkles/cookie paint (optional recipe follow)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Next beat in the eggs, vanilla, and lemon extract. Stir the flour mixture in by thirds until everything is incorporated. For easy cleanup afterward, moisten the tabletop or counter and lay a piece of wax paper on it (the moisture keeps the paper from slipping). Roll out the cookie dough on the wax paper and use cookie cutters to make shapes. Place the cookies on a baking sheet with a large spatula (a silicone mat underneath prevents sticking). Decorate cookies with sugar sprinkles or the cookie paint recipe that follows—spread it thickly over the cookie. Bake 14 minutes. Cookies are done when the edges are lightly brown.
Cookie Paint
4 egg yolks
4 different colors of food coloring
wax paper
cookie dough
cotton swabs or clean paintbrushes
colored sugar crystals or sprinkles
Place the egg yolks in four separate small bowls. Add several drops of food coloring to one yolk and stir with a fork. Add as much food coloring as necessary to achieve a rich color. Follow the same procedure with the remaining yolks, making a total of four different colors of paint with the food coloring.
To make more permanent cookie-cut outs, there’s a recipe for Baker’s Dough Ornaments here
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