Food: Christmas Sugar Cookies

The other day, our activity from our Advent Book was to make Christmas sugar cookies. My sweet Jimmy had been waiting for the day when "we get to make cookies and put icing and spwinkles on them!". So make them we did, decorate them we did. And it was so much fun. I typically use my parent's sugar cookie recipe but could not find it (fail!) so found one and adapted it a little. I also found a great icing recipe that dries all nice and shiny.

Best Rolled Sugar Cookies (adapted slightly from allrecipes.com)
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add in vanilla extract and then eggs, one at a time and mix thoroughly. Add baking powder and salt and mix. Then add flour, 1/4 cup at a time and mix well. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Dust work surface and rolling pin with flour. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick. Use cookie cutters or a biscuit cutter (or a drinking glass) to cut out cookies. Place on ungreased baking sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until just beginning to brown (be careful, the edges brown... fast!).

Let cool completely before icing.

Sugar Cookie Icing (adapted slightly from allrecipes.com)
1 cup confectioner's sugar
4 tsp. milk
2 tsp. light corn syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Food coloring
Sprinkles, optional

Mix confectioner's sugar, milk, light corn syrup and vanilla extract in a medium bowl. Add more milk 1/2 tsp. at a time if icing is too thick. Divide into different bowls and color each with food coloring. Use a pastry brush, spoon or butter knife to spread icing on cookies. Decorate with sprinkles if desired.