Soft Sugar Cookies

For Christmas, I wanted to give cookie tins full of homemade cookies as gifts. Specifically, the softest sugar cookies I could make. These cookies were delicious and they fit the bill in buttery softness. More flour was used to make the dough more workable than was recommended in the recipe. The cookies were still very moist.

Taste in Bloom Original Photo

Difficulty: Easy; Makes: 4 Dozen; Prep time: 10 minutes + about 10 minutes baking time

Adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Ingredients (4 dozen):

• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup butter, slightly softened
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract (pref. almond)
• 6 cups flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine sour cream, sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla or almond extract. Beat for 2-3 minutes. Add dry ingredients and mix well. The dough will still be wet and sticky. Refrigerate the dough for 25 minutes or until firm.

Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick and using cookie cutters, cut out cookies. Add a small amount of flour as needed to make the dough more workable. Keep in mind that the less flour you use, the softer the cookies will be.

Bake for about 8-10 minutes, until the cookies are light golden brown. They should appear underdone. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan. If you prefer a harder, crunchier texture, bake them a minute or two longer.