fab five favorite recipe week | day 4

FROSTED CUT-OUT COOKIES from Krissy

Here is the recipe I've followed for YEARS for frosted butter cooky cut-outs. It came from a little old peep back in the days when I was trying to be a social worker and I worked at an old peep community. Unlike Wendy, I'm not so good at knowing how much of an ingredient by just looking and tasting, but after 25 years or so, I've at least memorized what goes into them....

1 cup butter or margarine (sorry to disappoint, butter-lovers, but I've always used margarine)
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
2-1/2 to 2-3/4 cups cups flour

Cream margarine (well, butter) with electric mixer on medium until very smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar and blend until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Then gradually beat in dry ingredients until well-blended. Chill dough overnight.

Preheat oven to 400. On a floured surface, roll out chilled dough to about 1/8-1/4" thick and cut with cooky cutter. Bake cookies on an ungreased cooky sheet for 8-10 min. Cool on wire rack.

Buttercream Frosting (cheater alert - this recipe is on the side of most boxes of Domino powdered sugar):

1 lb box, powdered sugar
1/2 cup margarine (butter), softened
1 tsp vanilla
3-4 TBSP milk

Beat all ingredients on medium using electric mixer, until creamy. You can color the frosting with food coloring, if you like, then frost cookies and sprinkle with colored sugars. You may need to beware of cat hair in the frosting, but if no cats live at your house, probably not. These cookies also freeze well for up to a couple of weeks.

[photo credit www.momadvice.com]