Sugar Cookies

This is the best sugar cookie recipe I have yet to stumble across. It rolls out easily and holds its shape during baking. I usually use one small cookie cutter to get 5 to 6 dozen and I sprinkle them with colored sugar before baking. You can also add food coloring to the dough during mixing for colored cookies. I do not recommend this recipe if you plan on frosting them. The amount of sugar in the cookie combined with a sweet frosting will put your loved ones into a sugar coma. Do use real butter and vanilla extract. Shortning and artificial flavorings detract from the overall flavor.

With a mixer cream together
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup softened butter
add
1 teaspoon real vanilla
2 eggs
Stir in
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
Spoon out onto plastic wrap. Cover and pat into a disk
Refrigerate 2 hours
Preheat oven to 375
Divide the dough into 4ths and roll out on a lightly floured board
Roll each piece 1/4 inch thick
Cut with cookie cutters, rerolling and cutting the scraps into new cookies
Keep the board and rolling pin dusted with flour
Lay on greased cookie sheets or line the sheets with a Silpat pad
With a spray bottle, lightly mist the top of each cookie with colored sugar or other decorations. The water helps your decorations to stick to the cookie.
Bake for 7-8 minutes, rotating the cookie sheets half way through for even browning.
Let cookies cool a few minutes before removing from the pan.
Makes 5 dozen 2 inch cookies