It just isn’t Christmas without sugar cookies, but one thing that has bugged me for a long time is the blandness of them. Just white sugar and flour for the cookie, and no flavor to the icing. So, I set about making a sugar cookie that keeps the essence of a sugar cookie, but has a bit more depth of flavor. I think I have it, and made a big platter of them for MIL’s visit and a dinner party that weekend. Half the fun is decorating them, and I would have loved to have had more time to pipe the icing and do different colors. But the upside is, no food coloring in the icing to stain your tongue. Don’t they look yummy on these black plates? We have been using them for breakfast and lunch all month.
So I began with gathering the ingredients for my new recipe.
Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.
Beat shortening and eggs for about 30 seconds to break up the shortening and begin to emulsify the eggs.
Add vanilla extract and half-and-half and mix in. Add granulated sugar in two parts, creaming well between additions.
Add light brown sugar and beat until smooth.
Turn mixer to lowest speed and gradually add flour mixture to stir in. Finish mixing with a spoon, only until dough comes together.
Turn out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and mash together into a loaf.
Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take the dough out of the refrigerator, and roll out in small portions to cut out the shapes.
Knead the scraps together and re-roll to cut out more cookies. Place on baking sheets.
Bake on cookie sheets 8-10 minutes, the cookies will not get brown but they will puff up. Let cool on the cookie sheet for one minute, then transfer to racks to cool completely.
Mix up icing using a hand mixer.
Frost each cookie. Add decorations while the frosting is sticky.
I have found it is easier to add these round decorations by touching the frosted cookie to the granules on a plate, rather than sprinkle them on as they tend to bounce.
Let them dry on racks on the countertop for a couple of hours to harden the icing.
Try to stay out of them, LOL!!
Yield, about 36 cookies.
Christmas Vanilla Sugar Cookies
3-1/4 cups flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter flavor shortening
2 eggs
2 tablespoons fat free half and half (or milk)
2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups white granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
Icing
1 egg white
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract
Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside. Beat shortening and eggs for about 30 seconds to break up the shortening and begin to emulsify the eggs. Add vanilla extract and half-and-half and mix in. Add granulated sugar in two parts, creaming well between additions. Add light brown sugar and beat until smooth. Turn mixer to lowest speed and gradually add flour mixture to stir in. Finish mixing with a spoon, only until dough comes together. Turn out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and mash together into a loaf. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take the dough out of the refrigerator, and roll out in small portions to cut out the shapes. Knead the scraps together and re-roll to cut out more cookies. Bake on cookie sheets 8-10 minutes, the cookies will not get brown but they will puff up. Let cool on the cookie sheet for one minute, then transfer to racks to cool completely. Mix up icing using a hand mixer, and frost each cookie. Add decorations while the frosting is sticky. Let them dry on racks on the countertop for a couple of hours to harden the icing. Try to stay out of them, LOL!! Yield, about 36 cookies.
Here’s a pdf with the recipe for you! Christmas-Vanilla-Sugar-Cookies
Do you make sugar cookies for holidays?
Sharing with Modern Mrs Darcy Cookie Exchange
From My Carolina Home 
My favorite sugar cookie recipe has a touch of sour cream in it. Making cookies is one of our traditions at Christmas and the kids love decorating them. Yours are quite lovely, almost too pretty to eat.
Those look and sound delicious.
Cookies look great. I was cleaning out my spice cabinet and realized that I had 32 bottles/ tubs of sprinkles. I would buy different colors and shapes for each season. My granddaughter loves to make cut out cookies. We are having sprinkles on every baked good now.MerryChristmas!
Oh these look so tasty. I am afraid they would not last very long here…. . This looks like such an easy fun recipe. I used to bake up a storm and make plates of cookies for all of my friends and guests.
Now both of my daughters are the bakers! So, it is best I just sit back and wait for my delivery!
I will share this recipe with my younger daughter. She and Jerome can test this recipe for us.
I love reading your blog Carole. You appear to have everything under control in your world. That is good for me to observe. I am trying every day to do some sewing for my peeps, and just less meltdowns
It is dreary here, today we have to make our own sunshine.
Your cookies are beautiful. I hope to make some before our grandson gets here from college.
Your cookies look great. I add almond extract to my dough and icing for an unusual change. I get many compliments on them and all the others I use to make. I have always baked large batches of cookies and candy (about 75 dozen) for a charity auction I’ve been involved with for almost 30 years. They were always one of the high selling items (anywhere from $75 to $1000 dollars a tray. Yes that is ONE ThOUSAND DOLLARS.) For the past 3 years I haven’t been able to bake because I have been traveling to and from my kids for the holidays. The cookies have been missed. Whenever I run into some one from the group they never fail to tell me how much they are missed. They have to settle for receiving a quilt to be auctioned now.
Oh yes, I do! It was always the highlight of Christmas preparations when I was a kid, and making and decorating them still makes me feel like a kid again. LOL I have used the same Delrich (old-time margarine) recipe from the …. well, I won’t say how long ago, but no doubt so long ago that you have never heard of it. LOL My mom used anise flavoring (sort of like licorice) and we all loved them and still do. Your cookies look wonderful, and I actually LIKE the all white cookies with colored sprinkles and I may avoid the messy dyes this year. :o)
Thanks so much for posting your step by step method for making sugar cookies. I never have had any luck making cut outs. Maybe I should try again. 🙂
Thank you for sharing. I am going to make up a batch of these cookies, substituting maple syrup for vanilla. I can’t stand the smell of vanilla, which makes a lot of desserts unappealing for me. I use maple syrup or molasses as flavourings instead. These cookies are perfect for getting the grandkids into the Christmas spirit. Icing and decorating sprinkles will keep the six year old occupied for ten minutes, the seven year old for 3 and the eight year old for an hour. C’est la vie! I have some mincemeat tarts to make for a 97 year old grump too. I also make butter tarts for the rest of the family as they are not keen on mincemeat. I like gingerbread myself. A friend of mine makes the best and always delivers some. It is not the same when I use her recipe for some reason. Merry Christmas.
They look yummy. Seems easy enough to make. I might try them
Carole, these cookies look amazing…perfect with a steaming mug of coffee for breakfast! Yes, I eat cookies for breakfast! 🙂
Pure
Sugary
Perfection.
I love these!!!
So beautiful, festive, and delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Your Sugar Cookies look so good, I am sure your family loved them. Thanks so much for sharing your awesome recipe with us at Full Plate Thursday! Hope you are having a wonderful week and hope to see you soon!
Miz Helen