Traditional Sugar Cookies

by Sandra Merville Hart

Holiday traditions are a fun part of the season for so many of us. I had been doing different Christmas activities with my preschool and toddler grandchildren. They helped “build” our artificial Christmas tree. They decorated the house with us. We’d watched some holiday shows together and lit Christmas scented candles.

It was time to make Christmas cookies. I made the dough ahead of time from a trusted recipe in my Betty Crocker’s Cookbook.

Traditional Sugar Cookies

¾ cup shortening (I use butter, softened)

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl and set aside.

Blend the butter and sugar together with a pastry blender until thoroughly combined. Add beaten eggs and vanilla until mixed. Blend in the flour mixture.

Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly flour the surface and roll out the dough. Cut into desired shapes. Place on ungreased baking sheet and bake 6 – 8 minutes or until lightly browned.

I selected some cookie cutters that don’t have lots of nooks and crannies for the dough to get stuck in and gave them their choice from those shapes. I demonstrated cutting out the cookies. They did a great job and had lots of fun with this part.

After the cookies baked and cooled, I showed them an easy way to decorate. At 4 and 2, they did a great job. What fun for all of us! Taking turns made it easier to monitor and keep the mess to a minimum.

Of course, they sampled their handiwork and we saved their very first cookies as a treat for Mom and Dad.

Delicious, light cookies made a wonderful Christmas cookie.

What a sweet adventure and hopefully a fun memory for both children.

Sources

Betty Crocker’s Cookbook, General Mills, 1969.

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