Sugar Cookies

So my new thing is going to be making sugar cookies.  It is too easy to eat A TON of the regular drop cookies- and sugar cookies are just less appealing to me.  To eat, anyway.  It has been a turn off in the past, but now, I sorta like that they take a lot of effort- you have to chill the dough, roll them out, cut the cookies, bake them, ice them one color at a time... I think it might be good for me, in an artsy kind of way.  Here are the icing recipes that I am using so far:

Decorated Rolled Sugar Cookies
1 1/2 C. butter, softened
2 C. white sugar
4 eggs
1 t. vanilla
5 C. flour
2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt

Combine all ingredients (wet first, then the dry, just like normal) and then let chill in a fridge for at least an hour and up to over night.  Roll out on parchment paper to 1/4-1/2" thick.  Cut out shapes, pull away scraps and roll them on a new sheet of parchment paper.  Transfer the parchment paper with the cookie cut outs and bake in a 400 degree oven for 6 minutes or so.  Let cool completely before frosting.

Icing: 
2 C. powdered sugar
4 t. milk
4 t. light corn syrup
1/2 t. vanilla (or almond) extract
food coloring

Mix everything together and then separate into different bowls, add food coloring and go to town!  This is the kind of icing that goes on shiny and dries hard, so you can stack the cookies- it looks very professional.  Well, not when I make them just yet... but it could be.  It dries just right.  Takes about 20 minutes for the first coat to dry before you can add on top of that without having it run- and then after about 90 minutes or so, they are ready to stack.

Sugar Cookie Icing from Grandma Squires
1/4 C. shortening
1 lb (4 C.) powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
milk until it is the right consistency

I haven't made this one yet, but I think it is more of a Lofthouse cookie style of frosting... still delicious and what she uses for Christmas cookies.

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This recipe also came from Grandma Squires.  I made it tonight for St. Patrick's Day (added green food coloring, of course) and they turned out really good.  I didn't have time to chill the dough and they were still delicious.

Drop Sugar Cookies 
1 C. white sugar (or 1.5 C powdered sugar)
1 C. butter
1.5 t. vanilla (or you can use .5 almond extract + 1 t. vanilla)
1 egg
2 1/3 C. flour
1/2 t. baking soda

Preheat to 375.  Beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy.  Stir in vanilla and egg, then flour and soda.  Cover and fridge for 2 hours (if you have the time) otherwise just go for it.  Bake for 6-7 minutes (if you use the big cookie scoop to measure, and then roll into a ball shape) and pull them out before they look done, as always.

This frosting is pretty darn good, very much like the Lofthouse Cookies.  Jason said the combo of these two made perhaps the best cookie he has ever had in his whole life.  He seemed genuine when he said it, too!

Lofthouse Frosting
1/2 C. butter, at room temp
1/2 C. Crisco (I use butter flavored)
1/8 t. salt
1 T. vanilla extract
5 C. powdered sugar
1/4 C. (whole) milk, added slowly until you get the consistency you like.

Combine the butter and Crisco until light and fluffy.  Add everything else.  You can use this to spread with a spatula, or you can put it in a bag and pipe it on.