Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Icing

I love these cookies! They are thick and soft and wonderful! I have made them for a few Valentine's Day bake sales because I have a heart shaped cookie cutter, but with a new cookie cutter they could make adorable (and delicious) cookies for any season!

To make them you will need:

• 1 cup BUTTER
• 2 cups SUGAR
• 2 EGGS
• 3 tsp VANILLA EXTRACT
• 1 cup SOUR CREAM
• 1 tsp SALT
• 2 tsp BAKING SODA
• 5 & 1/2 cups FLOUR

Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees F. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Then, one at a time, add the eggs, vanilla, and sour cream. In a large bowl, mix the salt, baking soda, and flour. Slowly add the dry mixture into the wet mixture.

Once the dough has formed, roll it out on a floured surface until it is about 1/4 to 1/3 of an inch thick and cut out your cookies using a cookie cutter. Place the cookies on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake the cookies for 7-8 minutes. They may not look done, but they are! If they are golden brown around the edges, you have cooked them too long. If they are overcooked they will be crunchy rather than soft and fluffy! Leave them on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes after removing from the oven and then transfer them to a cooling rack. 

After the cookies have cooled they are ready to frost! Feel free to use an icing recipe that is tried and true, but in the case that you don't have one you can use this simple buttercream icing. To make it you will need:

• 1/2 cup BUTTER, softened
• 4 cups POWDERED SUGAR
• 2 tsp VANILLA EXTRACT
• 1/4-1/3 cup MILK

Simply cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla. Then slowly add the milk until you reach a desired consistency! For extra pizzazz you can add some food coloring!

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Sugar Cookies 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup BUTTER
• 2 cups SUGAR
• 2 EGGS
• 3 tsp VANILLA EXTRACT
• 1 cup SOUR CREAM
• 1 tsp SALT
• 2 tsp BAKING SODA
• 5 & 1/2 cups FLOUR

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. 
2. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Then, one at a time, add the eggs, vanilla, and sour cream. 
3. In a large bowl, mix the salt, baking soda, and flour. 
4. Slowly add the dry mixture into the wet mixture.
5. Once the dough has formed, roll it out on a floured surface until it is about 1/4 to 1/3 of an inch thick and cut out your cookies using a cookie cutter. 
6. Place the cookies on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake the cookies for 7-8 minutes. They may not look done, but they are! If they are golden brown around the edges, you have cooked them too long. If they are overcooked they will be crunchy rather than soft and fluffy! 
7. Leave them on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes after removing from the oven and then transfer them to a cooling rack. 
8. After the cookies have cooled they are ready to frost!

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Buttercream Icing

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup BUTTER, softened
• 4 cups POWDERED SUGAR
• 2 tsp VANILLA EXTRACT
• 1/4-1/3 cup MILK

Directions:

1. Cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla. 
2. Slowly add the milk until you reach a desired consistency! 
3. For extra pizzazz you can add some food coloring!

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The website where I found this recipe is: http://peppermintplum.blogspot.com/2011/03/thick-soft-sugar-cookies.html