BEST SUGAR COOKIES

One of my favorite things to do with my kids is baking. Although it can get tricky with three young kids, I still love the process and outcome. I know my girls love baking with my as well, and I hope that as they get older we get to continue this sweet tradition.

I've always stayed away from sugar cookies as it seemed like so much work chilling the dough, rolling it out, cutting shapes and then decorating. I preferred simple drop cookies and felt most comfortable making them. But all my kids love sugar cookies and they always have so much fun decorating cupcakes. I've been on the hunt for a simple sugar cookie recipe and I can't wait to share it with you!

They are super yummy, easy to make (no need to chill the recipe!) and turned out really great.

Here's you go!

BEST SUGAR COOKIES

3/4 cup softened butter

1/2 cup softened cream cheese

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking powder

3 cup flour

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese. Add in sugar and egg. 

2. Once combined, add salt, baking powder, and vanilla.

3. Slowly add in flour and mix until combined.

4. Using your hands roll the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters.

5. Bake between 7-9 minutes. 

6. Transfer to a drying rack and let the cookies cool.

7. Ice and decorate cookies. Enjoy!

My husband loves buttercream icing and requested I make it for the cookies. I happily obliged and they turned out so tasty. 

I used the recipe from Jenny Cookies and they are perfect!

BUTTERCREAM ICING

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup Crisco shortening

3 3/4 cup confectioners sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 tbsp whole milk

Cream the butter and Crisco together. Slowly add in sugar, vanilla and milk. Continue mixing until creamy.  

I separated my icing into three colors. I got some piping bags from Amazon and they worked great for piping the buttercream. (I got the bigger size bag so I could knot the ends so that nothing would come out that end. Perfect for little hands.) 

I took some plain white icing out first. Then added a light pink color to the mix. I took half of that out into a piping bag. Then I added more pink to the remaining icing and added the rest in another piping bag. 

My kids loved making these cookies for Valentines Day and had so much fun decorating them.