Traditional Christmas Cookies

From the kitchen of Sara Bosscher

Ingredients:

• 1 c. butter, softened
• 1 ½ c. white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 t. vanilla
• 3 c. flour
• 1 slightly heaping t. baking powder
• ½ t. salt
• frosting: 1 c. powdered sugar, 2 T. hot water

Steps:

1. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
2. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to wet mixture.
3. In covered bowl or plastic wrap, let the dough set a couple hours or overnight.
   
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease cookie sheet(s).
5. Sprinkle a little flour on the counter and with a rolling pin flatten dough to 1/4-1/2 inch thick. If it is too hard to roll out easily, set it in front of a heating vent or on top of a warm oven for 15 minutes.
6. Cut out with cookie cutters. Bake 8 minutes or until edges of cookies are barely brown.
7. Cool on wax paper or wire rack.
8. While cooling, mix together the frosting in a small bowl. You can add food coloring to smaller amounts or just drizzle with plain white.

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