When my friend asked me to teach her how to bake great cookies, I knew my "Mom's Sugar Cookies" was the recipe to use.  If you know how to make a great sugar cookie you are set for any holiday.

My friend was having trouble with cookies.  She says they always came out yucky.  After our day together baking cookies, she discovered that her cookies didn't work because she wasn't mixing the ingredients in the right way, in the right order.  She was adding all the ingredients to a bowl and mixing.  Cookies don't work that way!  If you use this recipe and follow all the steps, you'll have amazing cookies. 

First, make sure your butter is at room temperature.  If not, cut it into tablespoon sized segments, put it on a plat and microwave for 10 seconds.  It should feel as soft as play dough.  Then add your butter to a mixer and mix just to make sure it's nice and smooth.  Add the sugar and cream together.  It should look like beach sand when well mixed.

Then add the eggs one at a time.  It will look like soupy beach sand.  Add the vanilla.

Then add the flour, salt and baking powder.  Technically you're supposed to mix all three dry ingredients together and then add to the mixture.  I find that I can add a little of each until all three are added to save time and dirty one less bowl.

Divide the dough into three or four parts.  Pour onto plastic wrap and wrap it up, then smash it flat into a disk shape.  Let chill for at least an hour, or for a couple days if you want to make the dough in advance.

Roll out the dough to a 1/4 inch thickness and cut into shapes.  Bake at 400 degrees for 6-10 minutes, depending on how hot your oven cooks, how big your shape is, and how thick your cookie is.  Your cookie is done baking when the edges are barely set and the center is still doughy.  The cookies will be all white with no browning at all.

Let cook for 1-2 minutes and then move to a cooling sheet.  They will be ready to decorate as soon as they are cool, usually about 5 minutes later.

To make the glaze, just add all the components to a mixing bowl and mix.  If it's too thick, add milk.  If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar.  I like to drizzle it on the cookies and then add sprinkles.  It will set in a hour or two.  Then you can move them to a plate and cover.

Last year I made too many sugar cookies.  I put them in the freezer where they sat all year long.  When Liz needed to take a treat to school we pulled them out at 8:00am, decorated with a can of frosting and sprinkles, and sent her off to school at 8:30am.  So if you want to plan ahead, these freeze well!

Donna's Sugar Cookies and Glaze
Makes 9-10 dozen 1-1/2 inch scalloped circle cookies
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
5 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Glaze
4 c. powdered sugar
2 tbsp. + 2 tsp. light corn syrup
2 tbsp. + 2 tsp. milk (more or less to get the consistency right)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract

1. Cream butter and sugar together.
2. Add eggs one at a time, mix well.  Add vanilla.
3. Add flour, baking powder and salt.  Mix well.
4. Divide into 3 or 4 parts.  Pour onto a sheet of plastic wrap, shape into a disk, wrap with plastic wrap.  Chill for one hour or for several days.
5.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Roll out cookie dough to 1/4 inch.  Cut into shapes and bake for 6-10 minutes, until the edges are barely set and center is still doughy.
6. Let cool for 1-2 minutes on baking sheet and then move to a cooling rack.  Let cool for 5 minutes and then glaze.

To make glaze, add all components in a mixing bowl.  If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar.  If it's too thick, add more milk.  I often add more milk until the glaze drizzles off a spoon.