My Favorite Sugar Cookies

Categories: cookies

Ingredients

• 3 1/4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup shortening
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons orange or lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Mix first 8 ingredients in a large bowl at medium speed until well mixed.

2. Shape dough into a ball and wrap with waxed paper. Refrigerate 2 to 3 hours until easy to handle.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease cookie sheets.

4. Roll out half of the dough at a time on a lightly floured surface. Keep the remaining dough refrigerated. For crisp cookies, roll paper thin. For softer cookies, roll 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.

5. With floured cookie cutters, cut dough into various shapes. Re-roll dough trimmings and continue to cut shapes.

6. Place cookies 1/2 inch apart on greased cookie sheets. To glaze, brush tops of cookies with heavy or whipping cream or with an egg white slightly beaten with 1 tablespoon of water.

7. Sprinkle cookies with your choice of toppings; bake 8 minutes or until very light brown. Remove cookies and cool completely.

Email to a friend | Print this recipe | Back