Basic Sugar Cookie Dough

(from Lucianolinda’s recipe box)

Source: Relish Magazine

Categories: Cookies

Ingredients

  • 5 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. coarse salt
  • 2 cups utter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • Cream Cheese Frosting:
  • 8 oz. softened cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) softened butter
  • 4 ups confectioners' sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla. Beat in flour until fully incorporated. (Dough will be stiff.)
  2. For the Santa cookies, Sugar Plums and Frosty cookies, divide dough in thirds, flatten into a disk and wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour. For the Grinch and Rudolph cookies, proceed with recipe.

  3. The Grinch:

  4. Mix 8 to 10 drops green food coloring into 1/3 of the Basic Sugar Cookie Dough. Drop by level Tbsp. onto ungreased baking sheet.
  5. Place a red jumbo heart sprinkle on each. Bake 15 minutes, or until the cookies begin to turn tan around the bottom edge.

  6. makes about 3 1/2 dozen

  7. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer:

  8. Using 1/3 of the Basic Sugar Cookie Dough, roll 1 level Tbsp. into a ball for each cookie. Dip in a beaten egg whites. Roll in 1 1/2 cups very finely chopped pecans.
  9. Bake 17 to 18 minutes on ungreased baking sheet. Remove from oven and immediately push in a cinnamon candy for the nose, and broken pretzels for antlers. cool on a rack, then use black gel icing to make eyes.

  10. makes 3 1/2 dozen

  11. Santa Stars:

  12. using 1/3 of the Basic Sugar Cookie Dough and working with half of that portion at a time, roll out chilled dough to a thickness of 1/4-inch. Cut out shapes with a 4-inch wide star cookie cutter and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bend one of the star points slightly to form the end of Santa’s hat.
  13. Reroll scraps and repeat. Bake 8 to 9 minutes, until cookies begin to turn tan around the bottom edge. Cool on the baling sheet 5 minutes, then cool completely on a rack.
  14. Ice with Cream Cheese Frosting.
  15. Make the face with cinnamon candy and black gel icing. Cover the hat portion of the cookies with red sprinkles. Add dollop of icing to the tip of the hat.

  16. makes about 1 1/2 dozen

  17. Sugar Plums:

  18. Using 1/3 of the Basic Sugar Cookie Dough, roll chilled dough into 1-inch balls and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Press your thumb into the top of each ball.
  19. Bake 13 minutes. Cool on a rack.
  20. Fill thumbprints with Cream Cheese Frosting and press in a gumdrop. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.

  21. makes about 4 dozen

  22. Frosty the Snowman:

  23. Using 1/3 of the Basic Sugar Cookie Dough, roll chilled dough into 1-inch balls and place on an ungreased baking sheet, with 2 balls touching. Press your thumb into the top of each ball. Bake 13 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Fill thumbprints with Cream Cheese Frosting. Use gel icing to make face and scarf.

  24. makes 2 dozen

  25. Cream Cheese Frosting:

  26. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat softened cream cheese and softened butter until smooth. Slowly add 4 cups confectioners’ sugar, beating on low speed. Add 1 tsp. vanilla extract and beat until blended.

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