Happy Saturday! This week has been so festive with holiday spirit and I’m absolutely loving it. My roommate and I make a spontaneous trip to Target to decorate our apartment with holiday decor, it snowed in Indiana and I’m going to a holiday party this afternoon. Next up, I’m ready for a holiday baking day! Christmas wouldn’t be complete without some sugar cookies and classic baked goods. Whether you like regular sugar cookies, or the cookies cut in festive shapes and decorated with icing, my family has two recipes I’d love to share.
My Grandma Mary Ann gave my mom these recipes years and years ago and we always used to joke that she would leave a little something out to make sure they wouldn’t taste as good as hers. After double checking for years, I think we finally nailed down the recipes. We always stored the sugar cookies in the freezer. They stay a little chewy, but taste extra buttery when they’re cold. The sugar cookie cut outs are complete with a frosting made with vanilla extract – but almond extract would taste amazing too!
- 1/2 cup butter or margarine
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp. soda
- Cream butter and sugar. Add vegetable oil and egg.
- Sift flour, salt, cream of tartar, and soda. Add into wet mixture. Mix until incorporated.
- Wrap ball of dough in saran wrap and chill for at least one hour.
- Roll dough into tablespoon sized balls. Place onto cookie sheet, flatten gently with heel of hand and top with holiday sprinkles.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. (Watch! They overcook easily, so remove from oven before they turn golden brown.) Enjoy!
- [b]Cookies[/b]
- 1 cup butter
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. almond extract
- 1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
- 2 1/2 c. flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. cream of tartar
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- [b]Frosting[/b]
- 1 pound powdered sugar
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1/2 c. butter, softened
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 4-5 Tbsp. milk
- Food coloring
- Sprinkles
- Mix together ingredients above.
- Mold dough in a ball and wrap with saran (plastic) wrap. Chill in refrigerator for 2 hours.
- Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out to 1/4″ thick.
- Cut into shapes using holiday cookie cutters.
- Bake in a 375 degree oven for 7-8 minutes or until light golden brown.
- Let cool. Frost and decorate with sprinkles.
I am bummed to be missing my family’s baking day this year, but hoping I can do some holiday baking with friends instead. If I make a batch of sugar cookies with girlfriends, I’m going to definitely need to give them away as gifts here in Indy (so I don’t eat them all!). Sugar cookies make such a classic gift for neighbors, friends, family, co-workers or anyone you can think of. Spice them up with your favorite sprinkles, jewels, colored frosting, edible glitter…the options are endless!
Also, in case you’re curious, this adorable Ho Ho Ho shirt is from one of my favorite boutiques in Phoenix called Muse Apparel. You’ll see me wearing some more of their clothing in upcoming images for the blog! When I was home in Phoenix for Thanksgiving, I spent time with Brooke Marcella for a photo shoot and cannot wait to keep sharing her images. If you’re looking for a photographer in Phoenix for a wedding, she is incredible.
Love food. Love self. Love life.
Gabriela
[…] holiday baking day when my mom sent my dad and I off to find a special kind of sprinkles for our sugar cookies. When I walked back into the kitchen, all my family was staring waiting for my reaction (and […]