I Sure Do Like Those Christmas Cookies, Sugar…

I wanted to get out one more post before Christmas, and the most amazing, age-defying cookies seemed to fit the bill.  And these cookies really are age-defying.  They get tastier the older they are; all good things do, wine, scotch, cheese… you get the idea.

This cookie recipe is my go-to for anything cookie related.  It’s that yummy.  I used it for my robot cookies a year ago, but I’ve never shared the recipe with you, choosing instead to keep it as a secret for myself.  This is your Christmas Present.

You start with 2 sticks of butter, two eggs, a pinch of salt, 3/4 cups of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla, and 3 1/2 cups of flour.  You are supposed to have softened butter, but I never remember ahead of time, so I just cut the butter into cubes, and then cream the butter and sugar together.

Once, it’s nice and light, you add your eggs, and vanilla, then salt and flour.  Mix until the dough comes together, and dump onto some cellophane.

Wrap it up nice and tight, and stick it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to rest.

After your dough takes its little nap, roll it out until it’s close to 1/4″ thick; if it’s much thinner than that, the cookies will be more cracker like, and brown faster.  I don’t have the muscles to roll out the entire bunch of dough at once, so I divide it in half, and put it back into the fridge.

Then use something to cut the dough into shapes; I used Christmasy shapes.

And place them on a sheet pan lined with paper.  These cookies don’t spread, so you can place them fairly close to one another.

Then you bake them for 10-15 minutes, in a 350 degree oven.

The browner cookies are the ones that I got a little too thin.  They still taste good, though.

Once they are cooled, ice the cookies however you choose.  I use the Betty Crocker cookie icing in a bag.  It tastes good, is cheap, and hardens like I want.

Hey, I never said I was the Martha Stewart of cookie decorating.  Just trust me when I say these are addictive, and quite possibly the only reason why Santa comes to my house every year.

Merry Christmas!   Now go make some cookies!

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Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

3 1/2 Cups Flour

2 Sticks Butter

2 Eggs

3/4 cup Sugar

1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla

Pinch of Salt (I use a heaping 1/8 Teaspoon)

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Preheat oven to 350

Cream butter and sugar in a mixer, then add eggs and vanilla.

Mix in salt, and then add flour a little at a time until all is mixed in, and dough comes together.

Shape dough into ball, wrap, and place in fridge to rest for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Roll dough until 1/4″ thick, and cut into shapes.

Place shapes on lined cookie sheet, and bake 10-15 minutes, or until just beginning to brown on edges.

Allow cookies to cool completely before icing.

(These cookies really will taste better the older they get, so restrain yourself, or you’ll really be missing out!)

Enjoy!