mmm, sugar

They may not be the prettiest cookies ever decorated, but they were decorated with love.

And sprinkles.

Lots of sprinkles.

Because there just isn’t enough sweet stuff out there at Easter already, we made some of our favorite cookies yesterday.

My family is actually pretty picky about who likes which cookies, but this is one that everyone loves.

This is just a really good recipe for:

Sugar Cookies

(from Ivory Family Favorites Cookbook)

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

3 Tblsp. sour cream

1/2 tsp. almond or lemon extract

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

3 1/4 cups flour

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, sour cream, almond or lemon extract, and vanilla and mix well. Add soda, salt and flour and mix on low just until combined. Roll dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 3-4 hours. Roll out on floured surface and cut into shapes. Bake on ungreased (I grease them) cookie sheets at 375 degrees for 6-8 minutes. (These cookies don’t brown.) Cool on racks, then frost and decorate.

I haven’t found a recipe for frosting that I absolutely love, but this is a good one and makes just about exactly enough for one batch of these cookies:

Frosting

1/3 cup butter, softened but not melted

4 cups powdered sugar (about half a 2 lb. bag)

1/4 cup milk (or more)

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. almond extract

pinch of salt

In mixing bowl, beat butter slowly with powdered sugar. Add milk and continue beating. Add vanilla, almond extract and salt. If needed, add more milk to make frosting spreadable. Color with food coloring if desired.