Nothing says Christmas like a homemade, warm sugar cookie. There is something about a cookie straight out of the oven that brings about good feelings and the holiday spirit. It crumbles, it practically melts in your mouth and you’re never left unsatisfied. Cookies are perfect to bring to holiday parties, enjoy with family, or keep for yourself when overwhelmed by life’s stresses and demands.

Sugar cookies are simple. They don’t require spices or any other ingredient that you probably don’t already have, and they only cook for 10 minutes. In addition, they always look good no matter what shape you cut them into, and they are even better when smothered with icing. You can drench them in sprinkles, share them with friends and give your kitchen the scent of heaven.

As winter break rolls around the corner and Fort Collins looks forward to a heat wave of the 30s and 40s for the next week, sugar cookies are a great afternoon activity during your study break. One can only study for so long before reaching a breaking point and sugar cookies are always there for you when you are drowning in your academic stress. They never fail you, don’t care if you burn them and always make you feel better. Give up on that paper for a little bit, and enjoy a cookie and the leftover dough as well.

I chose not to ice these sugar cookies. However, if you are interested in icing your cookies, I recommend the recipe that I provided below.

Ingredients

1 cup of butter, softened

1 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 cups of flour

(Optional) Icing Recipe

1 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons milk

2 teaspoons light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Mix all icing ingredients together and ice cookies as you prefer.

Cookie Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, with an electric hand mixer, combine the butter and sugar until the mixture is light, fluffy and completely combined. Add the teaspoon of vanilla extract and egg to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix until incorporated. Next, combine the baking powder and flour in a separate bowl. Mix together to evenly distribute the baking powder throughout the flour. While mixing, slowly add the flour and baking powder mixture to the butter mixture. If the dough seems a little dry, add a tablespoon or two of milk, half-and-half, or cream. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. Check on the cookies every now and then, because you may end up taking them out earlier than 10 minutes.

Collegian Entertainment Reporter Rae Ehly can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com.