I don’t usually crave sugar cookies, but when I do, these are the ones I make. They’re perfectly light and crisp (from shortening), have the perfect sweet, buttery flavor, and go amazingly with coffee, cookies & cream ice cream, and are also delicious just straight up on their own. The dough tastes pretty good, too.

Rolling out sugar cookie dough is pretty time intensive, so I’ll admit that I don’t make these cookies all that often. I typically prefer drop cookies like chocolate chip or bar cookies that are super-duper ooey and gooey. But recently, the craving struck, and it was time to pull out the rolling pin, get my hands dirty, and satisfy my need for these sugar cookies.

P.S. – I scrub my wedding ring with a toothbrush to get the cookie dough out of the diamonds. Works like a charm. In a perfect world, I’d take off my rings before baking, but hey, I am who I am.

Rolled Sugar Cookies

Cookie Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup shortening (yes, really, trust me on this one!)
• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Icing:

• 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 2 teaspoons milk or cream
• 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, cream butter, shortening, and sugar. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda, and gradually add to the butter mixture. Chill dough for 1 hour. Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into shapes (or slice into squares).

Arrange on a parchment-lined baking pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes, until well-formed and slightly golden around the edges. Cool completely on wire cooling racks.

For the icing:

Whisk together the confectioner’s sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. Dip cookies or paint them with a brush.