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Every Christmas Season, I look forward to making these delicious cut-out sugar cookies and decorating them with my mom and sisters. They hold so much nostalgia, as they have always been our favorite cookie growing up. And now that I am older, they are my favorite holiday cookie to have with tea at the end of the day when the baby is already in bed.

This is by far the best cut-out sugar cookie recipe that I have ever come across. Typically, my mom will refrigerate the dough overnight and then we will spend a day cutting out and baking the cookies and then spend time icing and decorating them once they have all finished baking!

Depending on the size of your cookie cutters, you can easily get around 10 dozen cookies out of this one recipe! My mom would always let the cookies sit out until the icing was dry (or freeze a layer at a time), and then stack all of the cookies in plastic containers and store them in the freezer so they would stay fresh all season long. Any night that we wanted a tray of cookies, she would get the containers from the freezer, place some cookies on a tray, and let them thaw to room temperature for a few minutes before serving.

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Usually in our family, these cookies just came out around Christmas time, but there’s no reason that you can’t use this recipe for other seasons and make cookies for any occasion! A few years ago, I bought some fall-themed cookies and made a whole batch of autumn-inspired cookies and saved a few for Thanksgiving Day. The possibilities are endless!

BROWN SUGAR CUT-OUT COOKIES

Makes approximately 10 dozen cookies

INGREDIENTS:

Brown Sugar Cut-Out Cookies

2 cups brown sugar (packed)
1 cup butter
3 Tbsp cooking oil
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
6 Tbsp cold water
6 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar

Icing

1 egg white
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 lb. confectioner’s sugar (about 4 cups, portioned into 2 sections)
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 or 2 Tbsp cold water
Food Coloring

MAKE THE DOUGH:

Cream together the brown sugar, butter, oil, salt, and vanilla.
Add the eggs one at a time and beat well.
Add the cold water, mix well.
Add 2 cups of flour to the dough and mix well.
In a separate small bowl, mix the baking soda and cream of tarter into another 2 cups of flour. Add to the dough mixture and mix well.
Add the final 2 cups of flour to the dough (or just enough to make a stiff dough).
Place the dough in a glass bowl and press down with wax paper. Cover the dough with wax paper and a lid or seal to stay fresh while chilling.
Chill the dough for several hours or overnight before baking.

BAKE THE COOKIES:

Preheat the oven to 375º (F).
After the dough has been chilled, cut into portions and roll out onto a floured surface to 1/4 inch depth, then use cookie cutters to cut out cookies to place on a baking tray.
Bake cookies at 375º (F) for 8-10 minutes (or until golden brown around the edges).
Once cookies are cut out of the dough, continue to roll the dough back together and add in some additional dough as needed. Continue the process of rolling out the dough and cutting out cookies until all dough has been used up.
Allow all cookies to cool on racks before adding icing.

THE ICING:

While cookies are cooling, you can mix up the icing for decorating.
Combine egg white, butter, cream of tartar, salt, and vanilla with 1/2 of the confectioner’s sugar (about 2 cups).
Mix in 1 or 2 Tbsp of cold water.
Add enough water to beat in the second portion of the confectioner’s sugar (another 2 cups).
Once the icing is mixed, portion out into small mixing bowls and add food coloring as desired.
Spread the icing on the cookies and decorate however you would like! We love using sugar crystals and other favorite sprinkles for the season.

Once the cookies are decorated, allow the icing to set and harden before layering in a container for storage. Be sure to store the cookies in an airtight container. For longer storage, you can freeze the cookies. Take cookies out of the freezer and allow them to thaw at room temperature and enjoy with some hot cocoa or just on their own!

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I would love to see what cookies you make and decorate with this recipe! Find me on Instagram at @ajenericadventure and tag me in your sugar cookie posts!