Best Hills Family Sugar Cookie Cutouts Recipes

2020 HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS SUGAR COOKIE CUTOUTS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. In medium bowl, stir cookie mix, flour, melted butter and egg until soft dough forms.
• On floured surface, roll dough 1/4-inch thick. Cut with 4-inch house-shaped cookie cutter; on ungreased cookie sheets, place cutouts 2 inches apart. Reroll dough, and cut additional cutouts.
• Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• In large bowl, beat powdered sugar, 1/3 cup warm water, meringue powder, vanilla and cream of tartar with electric mixer on low speed until mixed. Beat on high speed 7 to 10 minutes or until very stiff, scraping bowl occasionally.
• Spoon 1/3 cup icing (tint with food color, if desired) into small piping bag fitted with small round writing tip; twist bag to keep closed. Keep remaining icing covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying out; set aside.
• On each cookie, squeeze piping bag firmly and steadily, working counterclockwise to create an icing border (use photo as guide). Release pressure on piping bag to cut off flow of icing and complete border. Allow borders to set completely, 30 to 60 minutes, before filling in. Add any icing from piping bag into bowl of remaining icing; keep covered with plastic wrap.
• Uncover remaining icing; mix well. In small bowl, place 1 cup of the icing. Tint with food color, if desired. Stir in warm water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, until icing is the consistency of heavy cream. (Make sure icing is mixed well before adding next 1/2 teaspoon water.) Pour thinned icing into squeeze bottle, and screw on top. Keep squeeze bottle tip and any remaining icing covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying out while decorating.
• Using squeeze bottle, on each cookie, fill inside of border with thinned icing. Use nozzle of squeeze bottle or small metal icing spatula to fill in all areas until completely covered. Let stand 1 to 2 minutes before adding any additional sprinkles. Let stand about 2 hours or until completely dry.
• Spoon 1/3 cup icing (tint with food color, if desired) into small piping bag fitted with small round writing tip; twist bag to keep closed. Pipe letters on top of dried glazed cookies. Let stand about 1 hour or until completely dry. Store covered in airtight container at room temperature with waxed paper between layers.

SUGAR COOKIE CUTOUTS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Sift together the flour and baking powder, stir into the creamed mixture alternately with the heavy cream. Cover dough, and chill for 2 to 3 hours, until firm.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Sprinkle with colored sugar if desired.
• Bake for 12 to 14 minutes in the preheated oven, until bottoms and edges of cookies are light brown. Remove from baking sheet and cool on wire racks. Store in an airtight container.

SUGAR COOKIE CUTOUTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in cream. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or until easy to handle., On a generously floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with floured 2-1/2-in. cookie cutters. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 325° for 6-8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. , In another large bowl, cream butter, sugar, vanilla and enough cream to achieve spreading consistency. Add food coloring if desired. Frost cookies. Sprinkle with colored sugar if desired.

HILLS FAMILY SUGAR COOKIE CUTOUTS

Steps:

• Sift the flour with baking powder and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter for a full minute, then add the sugar and beat at medium speed until light, about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla until fluffy and very light, another 2 to 4 minutes. With a wooden spoon gradually work the flour into the creamed mixture. Divide the dough into two portions and wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least several hours or overnight. Heat the oven to 400°. On a floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick, using more flour for the rolling pin, sprinkled on the dough, and additionally on the floured surface as needed to prevent sticking. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters and place on cookie sheets. This dough works beautifully if gathered and rerolled; if it gets too soft, chill for about 15 minutes. Refrigerate or freeze the cut-out cookies on their baking sheets for 10 to 15 minutes so they will retain their firm edges as they bake; if you're in a hurry, go ahead and bake the cookies immediately. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes or until cookies are puffed and only just barely starting to brown at the edges: Start with the shortest amount of time and watch carefully, especially with very small cookies. As the cookies are fragile right out of the oven, let cool slightly before moving to a wire rack to cool completely. When cool, glaze and decorate as desired. Makes up to 6 dozen cookies, depending on the size. This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled.