Baking: Sugar Cookies

I love making sugar cookies for every holiday, here are some Easter cookies before they were decorated. These cookies are super easy to make, but I don’t think I ever showed you how I make them.

In a large bowl cream the shortening and the sugar.

Add the eggs, extract, and milk.

In a medium bowl mix the dry ingredients with a wire whisk. Add the dry ingredients to the large bowl.

Mix with mixer until well combined.

I have several secrets that make the cookies tender and are EASY.

Secret #1. Parchment paper and wax paper allow you to roll out doughs without flour. The flour make the cookie dough tough after you roll it out more than two times.

Cut out a piece of parchment paper to fit a baking sheet.

Secret #2 Use two flat wooden dowels, 1/4 inch thick

Place the dowels on either side of the parchment and wax paper. The dowels allow the rolling pin to roll over the soft sugar cookie dough ensuring the dough is a consistent 1/4 inch thickness.

Spoon 1/3 of the dough onto a piece of parchment paper

Top with wax paper of the same size as the parchment paper and smosh... the sugar cookie dough to flatten the dough

Roll the sugar cookie dough out to the size of the baking sheet, stack the other two wax paper/ parchment paper cookie dough on the same cookie sheet.

Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours. After the cookies have chilled, using a cute cookie cutter, cut out the cookies. Remove the excess dough and chill.

Bake on the parchment paper at 400 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.

Repeat rolling the sugar cookie dough on parchment/wax paper until all the dough is gone.

I can whip up a batch of sugar cookie dough and roll out on three sheets of cookie dough in 30 minutes. And with the wax paper/parchment paper system, I can cut out all the cookie dough in another 30 minutes.

Sugar Cookies

The Recipe

• 3 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup shortening
• 2/3 cup butter
• 4 eggs
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 1/2 cups flour
• 5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Early in the day or the day before:
In a large bowl cream the shortening and the sugar. Add the eggs, extract, and milk. In a medium bowl mix the dry ingredients with a wire whisk. Add the dry ingredients to the large bowl. Mix with mixer until well combined. With hands, shape dough into a ball. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.