The Best Sugar Cookies

Every year I try another sugar cookie recipe, and each year seem to have to choose between taste and appearance. Finally, I'm happy to share with you a recipe I found on the web that is great to eat and to cut and decorate. Today I made this recipe for my friend Linda in Los Angeles. I baked and  decorated them and then stood in the very long line at the post office to make sure she got them before she and the family leave for Christmas vacation. There is something about the tradition of baking and decorating cookies at this time of year that I see as mandatory.
I miss Linda and her husband John and their daughters Gracie and Ruby and baking my time into something they can ingest just makes sense. Of course I have to put up with the long looks here at home when the family sees all the carefully decorated cookies disappearing into a tin, but truly I can say they are in no way deprived. My biggest regret this season is that Siddig's visiting brother Tom wouldn't let me repack his bags so that he could take home a fruitcake for his father Michael. I really know how to pack a bag.
So, here is the very very worthwhile recipe,  from the generous Jill Saunders.

                                The Best Sugar Cookies


1 1/2 cups butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

5 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1. Cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Cover and chill dough for at least one hour or overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 400F. Roll dough to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Place on ungreased cookie sheets 1 inch apart.

3.Bake 6 to 8 minutes, cool and decorate. I make glaze out of confectioners sugar, a couple of tablespoons of dried pasteurized egg white, a little vanilla and enough water to make it a good spreading mixture. Into little bowls, add colors, and there you go! Look , I won't mislead you, doing about 20 of these took me several hours today, but remember, you're making your love into something you can send through the Post Office!