Sugar Cookies

It’s 6:15 am. I have difficulty sleeping when my daughters are traveling home. Until they walk through the front door, my heart beats a little too fast.

Everything is ready.

Gifts are wrapped and under the tree. All of my family’s favorite treats have been baked and decorated. Our home is trimmed from top to bottom. Everything is ready to welcome another Hooton family Christmas.

Years ago, my mom warned me that anything I did for the girls when they were little would be expected, for the rest of their lives. It never occurred to me that she was speaking from experience! She has baked the same birthday cake for me all of my life – I would be heart-broken, if she deviated.

The first time that I baked these ‘reindeer sugar cookies’ was five days before the twins were born. It never occurred to me that I would end up baking thousands of these little guys. My reindeer cutter has actually become a family heirloom!

As I write this post, I am facebooking with Kate while she waits for her flight! She wrote, ‘I’ll be the girl with brown curly hair, big brown eyes and the smile that matches yours…

Sugar Cookies

makes 8 dozens

4 1/2 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add eggs and vanilla and beat well.

Add dry ingredients alternatively with the milk.

Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and shape into flat disks

Wrap each disk and refrigerate 1 hour.

Preheat oven 375*F

Roll dough out on a well floured board 1/4″ thick

Cut out shapes and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake for 9 minutes – do not over brown.

Cool on a wire rack then decorate.

Thanks for reading.