Foodie Friday- Dad's Sugar Cookies

You ready for the bestest most awesome sugar cookies around??? My dad has been making these for as long as I can remember! My mom used to teach Relief Society and my dad would make these for her every Sunday she taught. They have always been a huge hit, soft yet firm with perfect sugar cookie goodness.

They even made it into the ward cookbook! Are you ready to get started?

Dad's Sugar Cookies

• 2/3 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg 
• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Mix together shortening, sugar, milk, vanilla and egg. 
2. In another bowl, mix together dry ingredients.
3. Add dry mixture to the other bowl and combine. (A mixer really helps here.)
4. Cover and refrigerate until firm (at least an hour).
5. Roll out dough, putting 1/4" dowel rods on either side of dough so when cookie are being rolled out, the rods will stop the rolling pin and the cookies will have an even thickness.
6. Cut, and bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

Now, for picture directions. 1) because they are more fun, 2) to give a glimpse into my fun life. :)

Mix together your ingredients (this is the boring part, yawn!!)

If that part with the dowels doesn't make sense, hopefully the pictures clear it up. You place the 1/4" dowels on the surface, the cookie dough in the center, then roll!

My dad shows proper rolling technique, make sure to flour your surface well!

Ahhh, nicely rolled out in even thickness. This helps to ensure perfect cookies!

Get cutting! (You cold also roll your dough into balls and press flat with the bottom of a cup.)

Bake them! Now pay attention to this part. Take your cookies out at eight minutes. Flip them over, and if they are SLIGHTLY golden take them out. If not, put them back in for 2 more minutes. Check again. When are they are a beautiful gold color take them out, and let them SIT for a minute or two before taking them off the pan.

Let them cool. Ok...so we don't have the most traditional Christmas cookies! So what? We like it. (See the dinosaur one that's flipped? They should be that color on the bottom.)

 (Make sure you get some help!)

 Now it's the fun part! I loooove decorating cookies. (These smile are completely real, by the way. This is a candid shot. :)

 Seriously, could you find a happier face??

 We all agreed that Dad's cookie was the best. Apparently time and effort really help to make a cookie look good! (Whoda thunk??)

This is not a backwards four, by the way. It's the Liberty Bell.

 Uuuuuummm...my kitty cat and airplane cookies. Ugly yes? But oh so fitting!!

These are all of our beautiful (and scrumptious) Christmas cookies. Even if you don't like cookies, do it for some quality time with your loved ones!