Basic Sugar Cookies

Basic Sugar Cookie Dough

• Hard margarine (or butter), softened 1 cup/250 mL
• Granulated sugar 1 cup/250 mL
• Egg yolks (large) 2
• Vanilla1 /2 tsp./2 mL
• All-purpose flour 2 1/2 cups/625 mL
• Baking powder 1/2 tsp./2 mL
• Salt 1/2 tsp. /2 mL

Basic Cookie Glaze

• Icing (confectioner's) sugar 3/4 cup/175 mL
• Milk 1 tbsp./15 mL
• Hard margarine (or butter), softened 2 tsp./10 mL
• Vanilla1/4 tsp./1 mL
• Liquid (or paste) food colouring (see Note)

Directions

Basic Sugar Cookie Dough

Cream margarine and sugar in large bowl. Add egg yolks 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Beat until smooth.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl. Add to margarine mixture in 2 additions, mixing well after each addition until no dry flour remains. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into ball. Flatten each ball into disc and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill for 1 hour.
Discard plastic wrap from 1 disc. Roll out dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper to about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thickness. Discard top sheet of waxed paper. Cut out shapes with lightly floured 2 1/2 inch (6.4 cm) cookie cutters. Roll out scraps to cut more shapes.
Arrange about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart on greased cookie sheets. Bake in 350ºF (175ºC) oven for 6 to 8 minutes until edges are golden. Let stand on cookie sheets for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Cool cookie sheets between batches. Repeat with remaining disc.

Basic Cookie Glaze

Beat first 4 ingredients in small bowl, adding more icing sugar or milk if necessary until barely pourable consistency.

Add food colouring 1 drop at a time, stirring well after each addition until desired colour is reached. Makes about 3/4 cup (175 mL) glaze. Spoon into paper cone (page 27), or into small resealable plastic bag with tiny piece snipped off corner. Drizzle glaze over each cookie. Makes 3 dozen (36) cookies.

1 cookie: 120 Calories; 6 g Total Fat (3.8 g Mono, 0.6 g Poly, 1.3 g Sat); 12 mg Cholesterol; 16 g Carbohydrate; trace Fibre; 1 g Protein; 104 mg Sodium

Note: For best results, use paste food colouring to make bolder colours. Use only a few drops of liquid food colouring to make softer colours.

 I recommend using natural food colours (like strawberry juice, orange juice, etc...instead of artificial colours)