Arline's Cut Out Cookies

Arline’s Cut Out Cookies

         For years, I have done a lot of baking at Christmastime for family and friends. Cookies that are cut out into Christmas shapes and then decorated frustrated me for a long time until I asked a dear friend for some help. See, the old German family recipe that I grew up with didn’t appeal to most and any new recipe I tried was either too dry, tasteless or too sticky to roll out easily. This recipe is a snap!! I use it throughout the year, actually, just changing the shapes and flavoring to accommodate the event. In honor of the dear lady who gave this recipe to me, I pass it on to you: Enjoy!

Cut Out Cookies

8 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups butter
2¼ cups sugar
4 eggs, well beaten
1 cup thick sour cream
1-2 teaspoons flavoring of choice (cherry or amaretto flavors work well, as do almond, orange or vanilla)

         In a small bowl, mix baking soda into flour and set aside. In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, eggs, and sour cream until smooth. Add flavoring. Mix flour and baking soda into the rest until well blended. Cover and refrigerate dough for at least 3 hours.
         Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Divide cookie dough into about 4 parts, making it easier to work with. Roll out dough onto floured surface and cut into desired shapes. Note: cookie cutters are easier to work with if you dip them in flour before pushing them through the cookie dough. Place shapes onto a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool. Use your favorite frosting to decorate. Enjoy!

Note: The number of cookies this makes depends on the size of the cookie cutters used. I use a mix of sizes and get about 8 dozen cookies.