Liuna’s Easy Holiday Sugar Cookie Recipe!
With the crazy warm weather Hamilton has been having it doesn’t quite feel like winter or the holidays. Today our staff shared our fondest and most hilarious holiday stories. All the stories involved quality time with family: cooking up a storm, recovering renegade Christmas trees that have decided to bail from the roof of the car, almost setting the house on fire, skyping family overseas, family snowball fights, slipping into a food coma after family dinner to loud and bilgerent family members (we all have ’em). It was very heartwarming. Not surprisingly, a lot of stories involved cooking, hosting and favorite recipes.
We decided to get into the holiday spirit by sharing a super easy and delicious sugar cookie recipe! We also tossed in a bunch of tips on how to make them look “pinterest worthy” and how to make it a painless and easy for kids to get involved.
Have fun and enjoy making memories!
Cookies
1.5 cups butter softened (Yes, I know. Try not to think about it)
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract (or almond/peppermint)
4.5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Frosting
2 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract (or almond/peppermint)
Food coloring
Directions
Mix Butter and Sugar together. Add eggs and extract. Slowly add in your dry ingredients. Don’t over mix. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for an hour or two. Flour a table and roll dough. Cut out shapes and cookies. Lay on tray lined with parchment paper.
Bake 8-10 minutes at 350. If you have never made sugar cookies before, they tend to not look “done” they will be soft to the touch but harden once pulled out of the oven.
Let cool and prepare the icing.
In separate bowl mix 2 tbsp milk in icing. Add more milk if you like it runnier. If you are piping or doing intricate details – keep the icing thicker. It will stay better and can be manipulated easier. Mix in different bowls and add food colouring. Put icing in piping bags or plastic squeeze bottles (so much easier and less messy for kids!)
Tips:
- “Flooding” – to fully ice the cookie, start by piping a border close to the edge of the cookie (but not so it falls off). Then slowly start filling in the cookie, the icing will settle and blend into itself. If you are doing layers of coloured icing – like decorating a Christmas tree – make sure to let each layer dry so the colours do not blend.
- Squeeze Bottles – So much easier to clean and handle for both adults and kids alike! Use safety pin to make smaller openings for details.
- Make sure to let each layer of icing settle and dry before using another colour. Otherwise the colours will run.
- FUN TWIST: For Cinnamon Bun Sugar cookies – add cinnamon and nutmeg to sugar cookie mix. Frost with Cream Cheese icing and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from all of us here at Liuna Station!