Wilson, WY- Christmas-eve day is upon us. For those celebrating the holiday, or others who simply want to revel in the festive cheer, these iced sugar cookies are not only buttery, crumbly and delicious, but they’re also a perfect way to do something fun with loved ones.

A recipe from semi-local Lindsay Maitland Hunt, whose first cookbook Healthyish released this time last year, these cookies are easy. Who knows, decorating them with your family, friends or even by yourself may alleviate some of the stress that inevitably comes this time of year.

Note: For the icing, I used a simple confectioner sugar and milk icing. To add some  color, find festive sprinkles or separate your icing into five bowls, dying one red, one blue, one green, one yellow and leaving the last one white. You can always combine the colors on a “palate” to create other desired shades. I found using a wooden skewer to decorate was the easiest way to control lines and spread colors evenly.

For the dough

3 1/4 C all purpose flour (I prefer King Arthur) plus extra for rolling out

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp baking powder

2 1/2 sticks (10 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/4 C granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp vanilla extract

2 tsp finely grated lemon zest

 

Whisk flour, salt and baking powder together in a medium bowl and set aside.

If you have a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar with a paddle mixer until light and fluffy. If you don’t have one, you can use a hand-held mixer or whisk by hand. Add the eggs, vanilla and zest. Mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Divide in two and pat into round disks. Wrap in saran wrap and refrigerate until hard, about an hour.

Turn the oven to 350 degrees F. Clean a large counter top space, line two sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Flour the counter top lightly and roll out one of your two discs. Cut out your shapes and place them onto the sheets. Be sure to give enough space between each cookie as over crowding will yield softer cookies. Place the cookies in the fridge until they firm up, about 10-20 minutes. Once they’ve become firm enough to hold their shape when you pick them up off their sheets, place them in the oven and bake for approximately 14 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through to ensure an even bake throughout. Once they’re golden around the edges, remove from the oven and cool on cooling racks. Continue with the rest of your dough. Once the cookies have cooled, it’s time to decorate. Assemble your icing, put out sprinkles and tools for decorating, turn on some music, and have fun!