Recipe | Christmas Cookies

     There's only three more days until Christmas and I'm almost ready!  lol
   
       I thought I would share the recipe I use for making butter/sugar cookies.  I've been making butter cookies with my mama's cooky cutters every year at Christmas time since I was a teenager.  The recipe that I use is Land O Lakes Best Ever Butter Cookies.  I've been using this recipe for years without fail.  I love the hint orange and vanilla.
      My mama always made butter cookies for my brother and I to decorate and leave out for Santie Claus when we were little. Tuesday Stephenie and Ryan came over to decorate cookies.  I made 3 dozen before they came and set the kitchen table up with a vinyl table cloth, craft paper runner and wax paper place mats to decorate the cookies on.  I also baked a batch of my pumpkin muffins for Ryan he loves them!!   Ryan liked putting sprinkles on the cookies---I think he liked eating them even more!  lol
   
           Ryan really liked the snowflake shaped cookies.  He played outside in the snow last week.
   

                                                             Best Ever Butter Cookies

Adapted from Land O Lakes Butter.

Cookies
1  cup butter room temperature
1  cup sugar
1  egg room temperature
2 1/2  cups all purpose flour
1  teaspoon baking powder
2  tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice (strained)
1  tablespoon vanilla

I whisk the flour and baking powder in medium bowl and set aside.

Combine butter, sugar and egg in large mixer bowl.  Beat at medium speed until creamy.  Reduce speed to low; and add flour, baking powder, orange juice, and vanilla.  Beat until well mixed.  Divide dough into thirds; wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate until firm (2-3 hours).

Heat oven to 400* F
On lightly floured surface roll out dough, one-third at a time (keeping remaining dough refrigerated), to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thickness.  Cut with cookie cutters.  Place 1 inch apart on to ungreased cookie sheet. ( I use parchment paper. )  Bake 6 to 10 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned.  Let stand 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet.  Cool completely on wire rack.

My Mama's Frosting

1  pound package of Confectioner's sugar
2 to 3  Tablespoons of water

In large bowl stir together Confectioner's sugar and 1 tablespoon of water until smooth and desired consistency.  To tint with food color divide frosting in to bowls and add 1 drop to frosting and stir.

Decorate cookies with frosting, colored sugar and/or decorations.  Set aside to dry.  Store in air tight container.

                                                                Merry Christmas
                                                           
                         
                                                                       Love,
                                                                          ~Marcie