Pumpkin and Ghost Sugar Cookies

Pumpkin and Ghost Sugar Cookies

I have to admit, thick, soft, frosted sugar cookies are just about my favorite cookie in the whole entire world.  The trick for making awesome sugar cookies is to start with a delicious recipe and then to chill and roll the dough out properly, between two pieces of lightly floured plastic wrap.   I know sugar cookies can be intimidating, but this recipe will make you look like a pro.  These cookies will look and  taste amazing! This is my friend Andrea Hamilton's recipe for THE BEST sugar cookies. Ever.  I love how they taste even better when eaten the next day after cookie and frosting have had a chance to set.  So go ahead and make them a day before your Halloween party...you'll be so glad you did! 

5 cups flour

1 teaspoon soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2/3 cup sour cream

 In large bowl, sift flour, soda and salt together and set aside.  In electric mixer cream sugar, butter and eggs.  Add vanilla and beat.  Add sour cream and beat.  Add flour mixture and blend well.   Place mixed dough in a gallon sized freezer bag and compact dough in side of bag.  Refrigerate dough for at least an hour.  Lay out a piece of plastic wrap on counter top.  Lightly flour it.  Cut chilled dough into quarters.  Try to cut dough in a flatter shape as opposed to a round shape of dough (which will make it easier to roll out flat). Place dough on plastic wrap and turn over to flour both sides of dough.  Roll dough out between two pieces of plastic wrap.  Roll dough to 1/4 inch thick.  Cut with cookie cutters to desired shapes.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet to bake.  Bake at 325 degrees for 8 -11 minutes, remove from oven when tops of cookies form tiny cracks.  Be careful not to over bake.  You don’t want them to get brown around the edges.  Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Remove cookies to bakers rack and cool completely.  Place cookies on parchment lined baking sheets, decorate with Butter Cream Frosting and allow cookies let stand overnight, if possible.  Don’t cover the cookies for the first night or cookies will be too soft.  Place on serving platters or baskets the next day.  Store remaining cookies in airtight container.

                                         Butter Cream Frosting

My grandmother taught foods at Skyline High for many years.  This is her recipe and it is definitely my go-to buttercream frosting.  It is luscious, soft, and fluffy and decorates or spreads easily.  It makes enough to cover a large batch of sugar cookies in no time.

       6 cups powdered sugar

¾ cup butter, at room temperature

6 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

food coloring, orange and green

 In electric mixer, cream together butter, powdered sugar and milk.  Add vanilla and almond extract and cream mixture again.  Add desired food coloring or divide frosting in half and color each half separately.  Place frosting in decorators bag fitted with a star tip and fill in top of sugar cookies with tightly packed stars.  If possible, allow to set over night.  These frosted cookies taste even better the next day.  Don’t cover frosted cookies, as this will makes them too soft.  Allow to set uncovered in cool location overnight.  The next day they will be perfect to arrange on trays or baskets and they will taste amazing!