Try This Sugar Cookie Recipe With Your Family This Christmas

Christmas is a great time to bond together to create priceless memories with one another. Try this recipe!

SUGAR COOKIES

(Makes 4 dozen)

4 cups sifted flour, plus more for work surface

1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 tsps. vanilla

1 Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. With an electric mixer cream butter and sugar on medium to high speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture, beating at a low speed until just combined. Divide dough in half, flatten each half into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm for at least 1 hour.

2 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to just 1/4 inch thick, adding more flour as needed to keep dough from sticking. Transfer to a baking sheet; freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Using a 2-inch cookie cutter, cut out shapes from dough, and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Reroll scraps and cut out more shapes. Repeat with remaining disk of dough.

3 Bake until edges turn golden, 15 to 18 minutes, rotate sheets halfway through. Let cool completely on wire rack before decorating.

ROYAL ICING

(Makes 2 1/2 cups)

4 cups confectioners sugar, sifted

1/4 cup plus

1 Tbsp. meringue powder

1/2 cup water

1 With an electric mixer on low speed, beat all ingredients until smooth, about 7 minutes. If icing is too thick, add more water, a little at a time, beating until icing holds a ribbon on the surface for a few seconds when the beater is lifted; if too thin, continue mixing 2 to 3 minutes more.

Though your family might seem to get a “sugar overload” for a day — deep inside, it’s actually a “JOY overload” they’ll experience because of these priceless moments. The joy family togetherness brings will always be etched in their hearts and minds.