Yep, still talkin’ about Christmas! (And still have two more posts about it after this…le sigh.)

And it ain’t Christmas without these sugar cookies. Or any holiday for that matter.

We’ve been making them for as long as I can remember.

This dough has seen me through every childhood Christmas, Valentine’s, Easter and Halloween, and shames all other sugar doughs. If you like your sugar cookies crisp and delicate, this isn’t the dough for you. These are plump, soft, melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

Oh, Lawd, those were the days. Sisters in matching PJs eating cookie dough on the floor. Just look at those spoon trails in the bowl! Booh and I clearly knew what was going on at an early age.

You might be wondering why our noses are covered in flour. From the very beginning, my mom always told us that you had to have flour on your nose when you make these cookies. It made them taste better. Need proof?

My family has roughly 500 photos of three generations with flour on our noses. Later generations will look back and think we’re either really strange or a family of crack addicts. Let’s keep the mystery alive!

This is really one of the easiest cookie doughs of all time. It’s the familiar baking battle of wet v. dry and cold v. hot.

Then comes the fun part of picking out your cookie cutters. Since we were making multiple types of cookies, we made a half-batch and only picked a few cutters.

Nothing says Christmas like a Michigan-shaped cookie! (Chosen for our Christmas hosts who are both Michigan graduates. And Joe, of course.)

Then it’s time to make a mess! 

Flour the board, flour the dough, flour the rolling pin and….duh…flour your nose. It’s go time.

I’m guessing it is the high altitude, but I needed A LOT of flour for this dough. It was too sticky, even after the required chill time, so I’d estimate an extra cup to cup-and-a-half of flour went into these babies in the end. They are forgiving that way.

Then, while they bake, you get to enjoy the best part. Where’s my Booh when I need her???

Oh, there she is. And, ha!, wearing an Astros shirt. What else??

Good enough to eat…but not before their sugar bath!

The icing couldn’t be more simple. No stiff frosting in piping bags! We dip ours in a powdered sugar glaze. Similar to scones, this glaze locks in every bit of moisture, so you’re left with soft, delicious cookies for days.

When we were little, my mom would color the icing mixture, but this year we kept it simple with just white with {messy} green and yellow sprinkles.

Start your own memories with these cookies. Valentine’s Day is around the corner…grab those heart cutters and go!

Sugar Cookies

3/4 c. shortening/margarine (I do one stick margarine, the rest shortening)
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour (plus more for board/dough later)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Icing:
powdered sugar
milk

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together first four ingredients until fluffy and smooth. Slowly add the dry ingredients (last three) and mix until just blended. Wrap dough in saran wrap and chill for one hour (or up to two days).

When chilled, preheat oven to 400-degrees.

Flour your nose. (I’m serious.)

Flour surface, rolling pin and dough and roll out in batches. Cut into desired shapes and move to a lined, ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake cookies 6-8 minutes. Let cool completely on wire racks.

Icing: No set recipe. Just put a couple of cups of powdered sugar in a bowl and start whisking in a few tablespoons milk. I like it to be fairly thick, but just add more milk to thin and more powdered sugar to thicken. Dip cookies in icing and immediately decorate with sprinkles. Let cookies set on wire racks before storing.