Sugar Cookies for Easter!

After all this hard work of making healthy meals for your family, every once in a while you need a treat (or rather, your kids won't leave you alone until you hand-feed them sugar).

For Easter, one of my favorite traditions is Sugar Cookies.

Why?

1. Your kids have fun making a disaster in the kitchen
2. They get to spread frosting on the cookies
3. Sprinkles. Everywhere.

It sounds like a disaster because it is. But I love it because sometimes you need to let them make messes.

Cookie Dough Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup shortening
• 1 cup butter
• 3/4 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 egg
• 4 & 1/3 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Cookie Dough Directions

• Before you even think of making cookies (aka, the night before), put the butter on the counter to soften. WARNING: If you have dogs, put the butter high enough up that they won't touch it. I had a dog eat through 2 sticks of butter before a birthday party. Butter vomit is a nightmare to get out of carpet. Avoid at all costs!
• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
• Once the butter is softened, cream together the butter, shortening and sugars.
















• Then add in the vanilla and egg, and mix together until there are no lumps.
• Add in all the dry ingredients (everything else) and stir together.
• If the cookie dough is too dry, add in 1 TSP of water at a time until it's well mixed.
• For rolling out the cookie dough, I like to put flour down on the table and then use flour on my rolling pin so the dough doesn't stick.
• Here's a cool trick if you don't have cutesy cookie cutters (or any cookie cutters), grab a cup and flip it over, it typically makes the right shape for a cookie!
• Once your cookies are ready to go in the oven, place cookies an inch apart on a greased cookie sheet (you can use cooking spray or just spread butter on sheet with a little bit of flour sprinkled over it)
• Cook for 9-10 minutes (don't cook longer)
• Note: if it's a dark cookie sheet, watch the cookies very carefully. I take out after 8-9 minutes (same procedure if you have 2 cookie sheets in oven at one time)

Frosting Ingredients:

Note - I use the Betty Crocker recipe for frosting :)

3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 TSP vanilla
1-2 TBSP milk

Frosting Directions

• Mix powdered sugar and butter with spoon or electric mixer on low speed. 
• Stir in vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the milk.
• Gradually beat in just enough remaining milk to make frosting smooth and spreadable. 
• If frosting is too thick, beat in more milk, a few drops at a time. 
• If frosting becomes too thin, beat in a small amount of powdered sugar.