Christmas Sugar Cookies

When I was growing up my mother loved to bake during the holidays. I remember one year she got a little carried away while doing her Christmas baking, she had stirred up almost 50 different Christmas cookie recipes and candies! Out of all of her recipes for holiday cookies my favorite was always her Christmas sugar cookies. Our family would devour them so fast she would rarely have any left to take to her Christmas cookie exchange get together. I am sure these sugar cookies will become one of your favorite Christmas recipes too.

Christmas Sugar Cookies

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. shortening

2 eggs

2 T cream or milk

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. vanilla

3 c. flour

pinch of salt

In a large mixing bowl blend the sugar, butter, shortening and eggs together until creamy. Add the rest of the liquid ingredients and mix in well. Measure flour and add the soda, cream of tartar on top gently mixing into flour. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the sugar mixture.

Flour a cutting board or pastry cloth and roll out a portion of the dough to the desired thickness. Use Christmas cookie cutters and cut out your cookies and carefully place them on a cookie sheet. If the cookie does not come off of the pastry cloth, gently slide a butter knife under it and carefully lift the cookie onto the cookie sheet.

Sprinkle the top of each cookie with sugar and then with decorative festive sprinkles. Or you can leave off the sugar and sprinkles if you want to frost your Christmas cookies instead.

Bake in a preheated oven on 350 degrees for 7 to 8 minutes. Depending on how thick you rolled the cookies out they will take longer, watch them carefully as they tend to burn fast. Happy baking!