this is the best recipe ever:
Soft Christmas Cookies
INGREDIENTS:
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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DIRECTIONS:
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together, set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Gradually blend in the sifted ingredients until fully absorbed. Cover dough, and chill for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. On a clean floured surface, roll out small portions of chilled dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out shapes using cookie cutters.
Bake 6 to 8 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are barely brown. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.
It is a soft, cakey (if you roll them abt. 1/4: thick), not too sweet sugar cookie that holds up well with a lot of icing. I would love these with royal icing b/c then it would be crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside...yum!
btw, I use real butter and all the flour. If you read some of the reviews on this cookie, people say it's too floury, not sweet enough, etc. I think they are perfect as is and frosting makes them perfect...I am not usually a frosting fan (too sweet). By using all the flour, I don't have to chill the dough, it is ready to roll out immediately, in my experience, anyway...
Make them and freeze them unfrosted. Closer to the wedding, defrost and ice them (provided you have time, of course - royal icing might freeze ok, haven't tried it).
good luck!
