Amish Sugar Cookies

1 c Sugar
1 c Confectioner's sugar
1 c Butter or margarine; softened
1 c Oil
2 Eggs
1 ts Baking soda
1/2 ts Salt
1 ts Cream of tartar
1 ts Vanilla
4 1/2 c Flour
Colored sugar (optional)
  
Combine the sugars, butter oil and eggs, beat well. Add the remained ingredients, mix well. Refrigerate dough until well chilled (2 hours). Preheat oven to 375 F. Roll dough into balls and dip into granulated sugar. Place ona cookie shet and flatten with the bottom of a glass which has been dipped into the sugar, it keeps the dough from sticking. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lghtly browned around the edges.

Source:  www.cookie-recipes.net/amish-sugar-cookies.htm

Sugar Cookie Tarts

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

2 cups sugar

1 cup shortening

3/4 cup butter or margarine -- softened

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 egg

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream Cheese Spread -- (recipe follows)


CREAM CHEESE SPREAD

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese -- softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Toppings (sliced fresh fruit, miniature chocolate chips, chopped pecans or jam with toasted sliced almonds)



Heat oven to 375º. Beat sugar, shortening, butter, vanilla and egg in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt.

Roll half of dough at a time 1/4 inch thick on lightly floured surface.

Cut into 3-inch rounds. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light brown. Cool 1 to 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Prepare Cream Cheese Spread. Spread about 2 teaspoons spread over each cookie. Arrange Toppings on spread. Store covered in refrigerator.

CREAM CHEESE SPREAD:

Mix all ingredients until smooth.

Source:  www.cookie-recipes.net/cookie-recipes-snickerdoodles-to-swedish-half-moon-cookies_14.htm

Sugar Cookie Stockings

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

Mary's Sugar Cookies

Food colors, if desired

Thin Cookie Glaze -- (recipe follows)

OR

2/3 cup Decorator's Frosting


THIN COOKIE GLAZE

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

4 drops red or green food color (4 to 5 drops)

1/3 cup (about) powdered sugar

Prepare and refrigerate dough for Mary's Sugar Cookies as directed, tinting dough with desired food colors. Heat oven to 375º. Roll one third of dough at a time 3/16 inch thick on lightly floured cloth-covered surface. Cut into 6- to 8-inch stockings. Place stockings on ungreased cookie sheet. Cut accent dough (toes, heels, cuffs) to place on stockings if desired. Bake about 9 minutes or until light brown. Cool 1 to 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Spread with Thin Cookie Glaze.

THIN COOKIE GLAZE:

Mix 2 cups powdered sugar, the milk, and almond extract. Tint half of the mixture with food color. Add additional milk, a few drops at a time, if necessary, or until desired spreading consistency. Place baked cookies on wire rack. Pour small amount of tinted glaze over each cookie; spread to edge with spatula. Add enough powdered sugar to remaining glaze to make frosting that can be used in a decorating bag and will hold its shape. Place in decorating bag with #2 writing tip. Decorate cookies as desired. Makes enough to glaze and decorate 8 to 10 stockings.

Source: www.cookie-recipes.net/cookie-recipes-snickerdoodles-to-swedish-half-moon-cookies_11.htm

Sugar Cookies

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough

Directions
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 

Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill. Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or ice as desired. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

Source: www.foodnetwork.com

Pat Egan's Christmas Tree Cookies

2 1/2 c Flour
1 c Sugar
1 c Butter or margarine, Softened
1 1/2 ts Baking powder
1/4 ts Salt
1/2 ts Almond extract
1 Egg
1/4 c Green sugar crystals, about
1/4 c Confetti or nonpareil candy 
Decorations, optional
  
1. Put flour, sugar, butter, baking powder, salt, almond extract and egg into large bowl of an electric mixer. Mix together, using low speed. Dough will be crumbly. Then knead dough with hands until mixture holds together.
2. Remove 1/3 cup of the dough; wrap and refrigerate. Divide remaining dough in thirds. Using hands, roll each into a 6-inch log. 
3. Put sugar crystals on a sheet of wax paper. Roll each log in the sugar crystals to coat well; use the wax paper as a guide to press in crystals. Shape each log into a triangle, pressing gently on wax paper to give three sharp corners. Make sure to make 2 sides longer than the third side. Wrap each log well and refrigerate at least 4 hours or until dough is firm enough to slice. To this point, cookies can be made up to a week in advance.
4. Heat oven to 350 degrees. To bake, slice logs crosswise into 1/4-inch slices. Put slices about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. For each cookie, shape about 1/2 teaspoon of the reserved 1/3 cup dough into a tree trunk. Attach to bottom underside of each tree. Sprinkle each cookie lightly with candy decorations, if desired. Bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Carefully remove to wire racks. Cool completely.
   

Note: The logs can be divided and shaped into 3 sizes and sliced to form a 3-tiered tree. These second-place winning cookies are easily shaped into trees that are edged with glittery green sugar. Of her simple cookies, Pat Egan of Dolton, Illinois writes, "They're not a fancy or gourmet cookie, but a simple symbol of the Christmas season that is so close to my heart." from the Chicago Tribune annual Food Guide Holiday Cookie Contest December 8, 1988

Source: http://www.cookie-recipes.net/pat-egan-s-christmas-tree-cookies.htm