Christmas Cookies

This basic sugar cookie dough recipe can also be rolled into balls, dropped from a spoon, or baked in a pan to make bar cookies. But for the holidays, it's a wonderful to roll and cut out into tree shapes because they’re not too delicate (no tiny pieces to break off) and they’re simple to decorate, too. Simply shake colored sugar over them before placing them in the oven. Start the dough about an hour ahead of time so it has time to chill.


Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups unsifted all-purpose flour, plus additional flour for the work surface
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
Green and red colored sugar
Green and red hard candies
Green and red gumdrops, cut into tiny pieces


Cooking Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with the sugar for two minutes or until creamy with an electric mixer. Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract.
In a large sifter, measure the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Sift this over the egg mixture and beat on medium speed until a soft dough forms. If the dough seems a little sticky, beat in two to three additional tablespoons of flour. Scrape the dough out of the mixing bowl and form it into two balls. Cover and chill for one hour.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 10 to 15 minutes before you plan to use it. Knead briefly on a floured work surface. When the dough is fairly pliable, roll it out with a floured rolling pin to about 1/8-inch thickness.
Cut out cookies using a tree-shaped cookie cutter. Using a spatula, transfer the cookies to the baking sheet. Sprinkle the cookies with red and green colored sugar.
Bake the cookies for eight to 10 minutes, rotating the pan once, or until the bottoms of the cookies are golden and the tops are barely firm. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Continue rolling, cutting out, and baking cookies until all the dough is used.