Happy Thanksgiving! 

It’s turkey day, so why not decorate some sugar cookies? Turkey-style.

This is my favorite cut-out sugar cookie recipe.  

I make these cookies for pretty much every holiday.  From this dough, I cut out Easter eggs, Christmas trees, pumpkins, and today…

Turkeys.

Classic Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

• 2 cups all-purpose flour 
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 cup white sugar 
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons milk 
• ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
• Icing, to decorate (see recipe below)

Directions: 

- Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. In a mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated.  With the mixer running, add the egg, milk and vanilla. Mix until combined. 

- Transfer dough on a surface and shape into two discs. Wrap the discs in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to overnight. 

- On a floured surface, roll out the dough to desired thickness (usually about 1/8 inch thick).  Cut out into desired shapes. 

- Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Do not brown the cookies or they will be overbaked.  

- Cool on wire racks and decorate when completely cooled. 

Sugar Cookie Icing

• 4 cups powdered sugar
• ½ cup shortening (crisco)
• 5 tablespoons milk 
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 
• food coloring (optional)

Directions: 

- In a mixer, cream sugar with shortening together.

- Slowly add in the milk, 1 tablespoon at a time. Add the rest of the ingredients and whip until very smooth and stiffened. 

- Separate the icing into bowls and color with desired food coloring.  Place a scoop of icing in a Zip-lock bag and push the icing to one corner of the bag and snip off the end. Pipe the icing one the cookie. 

gobble. gobble.