SANTA CLAUS SUGAR COOKIES

Santa Claus Sugar Cookies image

I've used this recipe for almost 40 years and love it because it's a little different than most. My mom always made Santa cookies, and we'd put them into little clear bags tied with ribbon to hang on the tree.-Ann Bush, Colorado City, Colorado

Provided by Taste of Home

Time 55m

Yield about 4 dozen.

Number Of Ingredients 16

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
FROSTING:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
6 tablespoons 2% milk
2-1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
6-3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
Red colored sugar, miniature semisweet chocolate chips and Red Hots, optional

Steps:

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, nutmeg and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture., Divide dough in half. Shape each into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm enough to roll., Preheat oven to 375°. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-in. Santa-shaped cookie cutter. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets., Bake 8-10 minutes or until light brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For frosting, in a large bowl, beat butter until creamy. Beat in milk, vanilla and salt. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Pipe onto cookies and decorate as desired.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 186 calories, Fat 7g fat (4g saturated fat), Cholesterol 27mg cholesterol, Sodium 56mg sodium, Carbohydrate 30g carbohydrate (22g sugars, Fiber 0 fiber), Protein 1g protein.