The Best Sugar Cookies

 YOU GUYS!  It is Christmas Eve, EVE! ACKK!  I had to do it, I had to go pick up a couple of stocking stuffers today.  I swore it wasn't going to happen this year, but I don't mind so much.  The hustle and bustle are exciting to me and celebrating the birth of Jesus is the MOST exciting.  I don't care if he was born in March, this is when we celebrate, and I am here for it!

I tried ad am going to succeed in getting 3 cookie recipes up this week.  One more will follow Christmas Eve morning or late, late tonight!  In the wee hours of the morning!  It is only 3 ingredients, so buckle in.

There are so many sugar cookie recipes out there, but in my humble opinion this is the best.  If you cake it at just the right middle time, you get soft amazing sugar cookies, bake it for 1 maybe 1.5 minutes longer and you have a crunchy crispy cookie on your hands!  Roll them out thicker for soft as well, and thinner for crispy.  There are so many ways to control this one and make it like you want it!  I would love to chat more, but time is moving on faster than I want, and I have to get this last recipe filmed for you so let's get to it friends!

You will need:

• 2/3 cup shortening
• 2/3 cup butter (room temp)
• 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 3/4 cup flour

Preheat your oven to 350F,  In a bowl with a hand mixer or standing mixer, add in shortening and butter.  Mix until fluffy and combined.  Add in sugar and mix until combined.  Next crack in your eggs, vanilla, baking powder and salt and mix until completely combined and smooth.  Add in flour in 2 additions.  Mix until JUST combined and then stop!  If you over mix your dough, you will be eating Christmas hockey pucks, and nobody has time or teeth for that.  Now here is where the choices come in.  For cut out cookies, refrigerate for 1, or up to 2 hours before rolling out and using cookie cutters.  If you are just rolling them into balls, and rolling in sugar, go for it.  The sooner the better because well, it is obvious the sooner you taste test!  

Cut Out Cookies For a softer, thicker cookie, roll out thick and bake for about 12-13 minutes.  For a thin crispy cookie, roller thinner and bake about 12-13 minutes.  

REMEMBER: your oven may run hotter or cooler than mine, so you keep checking that first pan and go from there!

ENJOY and MERRY CHRISTMAS!