Cut-Out Cookies

What's Christmas without some good ol' cut-out cookies? I must say, I'm a little bit of a cut-out snob. I can only happily eat my mother's recipe for cut-outs. I think it's because they are a sour cream cut-out recipe so they are light and airy versus the regular sugar cookie cut-out. Don't get me wrong, any kind of cut-out is delicious, but these are AMAZING. I can eat them with or without the frosting; even just minutes after they are out of the oven...yum. I am salivating just thinking out it!

I highly recommend doing these with a group of friends or family. This recipe makes A LOT of cut-outs. Like 60 or more depending on the size of your cutter. I'm sure everyone has the same excitement at the start of making cut-outs....they look like utter perfection, but slowly as time passes and you are STILL frosting, they slowly get a little less professional looking and a little more....shall we just say "rushed?" So yes, definitely a good project for a large group. Oh, and if you plan on making lots of colors and intricate designs on your cut-outs you will most likely need to double your frosting.

hoards of cookies....

Here is the step by step process:

Once the dough is made, flour your countertop.

Then knead dough on floured surface until not sticky, adding flour as necessary. You can divide the dough if that is easier (this is only a quarter of the batch).

Roll out dough to 1/8" to 1/4" inch thickness. I usually like mine at 1/4" thickness.

Flour your cookie cutters and start cutting out shapes! I find it easiest to set all the cutters on the dough at once and then remove them all one by one...helps to make the most of the dough!

Then pop them in the oven to bake! An important thing to note about these cookies is that to get them at the perfect texture, they shouldn't really be browned at all....not even the bottoms. Basically do not overbake them and be sure to take them off of the cookie sheets less than a minute after leaving the oven. I mean, they won't be completely ruined if the bottoms browned, but they just will not be as soft as they normally would be.

You are looking for them to look like the one on the far right! In case you were wondering, these were made for someone as a gift for their dentist, hence the teeth!

Then decorate them however you want!

In case you were wondering how those dental cut-outs came out....

Good luck and happy baking!

sour cream cut-out cookies

for the cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup sour cream
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions

1. Using an electric mixture beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until smooth. Add sour cream and vanilla. Beat until combined.
2. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Gradually combine dry mixture into butter mixture until blended. Cover dough and refrigerate overnight. 
3. The next day, roll out dough onto a flour surface. Roll in 1/8" - 1/4" thickness- add more flour as necessary. Dip cookie cutters into flour and cut out cookies. Place onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 8 - 10 minutes. Carefully remove from cookie sheets and place on wire rack to cool.

for the sour cream frosting

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Beat all ingredients together until smooth. Use food coloring to dye and frost cookies as desired.