For years, I have made these delicious beauties.  With a perfectly sweet frosting that sets perfectly and an easy-to-work-with, buttery dough that cuts into any shape, these are as pretty as they are delightful to eat!

When I make these yummy cookies for an occasion or just because they’re so darn good, my family comes running.  To me, there is just no substitute for the Perfect Frosted Sugar Cookie.  Easy to make.  Even easier to eat decorate; this one is a classic that hasn’t failed me yet.

Make up the simple dough, throw it in the fridge and an hour later or a few days later, bake up some beautiful cookies. I make them for Christmas as seen in this post and Easter in this one, but quite honestly, I’ll use any occasion to whip these lovelies up!

Today, I made them into simple little leaves for my grands — I don’t claim to be a cookie decorator and quite frankly, I’d rather quickly frost and enjoy them than spend hours making them art. :o) Besides, I’ll leave the fall decorating to the One Who really knows what He’s doing…

Here’s how to make them:

In a mixer bowl, beat 3/4 c. butter (no substitutes)

and 1 c. sugar for 2-3 minutes or until fluffy.

Add 2 eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition,

and then 1 tsp. vanilla,

and 1 T. milk.

In a separate bowl, combine the following:

2 1/2 c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

Add the dry ingredients into the butter/egg mixture and combine.

Cover the dough and refrigerate at least an hour.

When the dough is chilled, preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly flour a clean work surface and have more flour on-hand if needed.  Lightly butter your cookie sheets or use parchment paper.  I work with the dough in batches so the remainder can stay as chilled as possible.  If it gets too sticky to work with, chill it a bit more.

Grab a good-sized ball of dough and set it on the floured surface.  Dust a rolling pin with flour and roll out the dough to your desired thickness.  Anywhere from 1/8″ to 1/4″ will work depending on if you like soft or crisp cookies.  Cut out shapes with cookie cutters or using the top of a glass.  Continue to add a bit of flour as necessary to help prevent sticking.

Bake for 6-9 minutes watching carefully and removing at the first sign of golden edges.

Cool thoroughly on wire racks before frosting.

To make the frosting,

beat 2 T. softened butter.

and 2 tsp. vanilla with

6  T. milk

Add 5 c. sifted powdered sugar, and possibly a little more, a little at a time until the frosting reaches the desired consistency.  Nice and thick, but spreadable is what you’re looking for here.

Decorate and let them sit for a couple hours until the frosting has set.  The cookies will then store very well, even lightly stacked.

Many thanks to the fine folks at Supernatural Kitchen that provided me with the lovely colors that adorned my cookies! Made from plants, these sprinkles and colors and sugars are a clean-eating win!