Mother's Day Cookies

Mother's Day is this weekend and I always like to celebrate by baking my mother's recipe for sugar cookies in her honor. My mother was well known for her sugar cookies. While she would sometimes ban my sisters and I from the kitchen so she could devote her full attention to baking, she would always let us help with sugar cookies. She allowed us to roll them out, cut them into shapes, and sprinkle them with a wide variety of sparkly sugar confections. They were always delicate and crunch. "The secret to delicious pastry is to not overwork the dough, girls," she would say. I remember her words to this day, and I repeat them to my girls, who I hope will repeat them to their girls, and so on...

Here I am (as a baby!) with my mother and two older sisters.

These are wonderful cookies to be enjoyed while making and eating, as well as a wonderful tradition to start with loved ones. Show your mother you care this Mother's Day with a beautiful display of homemade sugar cookies.

MAKES ABOUT 24 COOKIES.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Colored sugar crystal or candy sprinkles

1. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt onto a piece of wax paper. Set aside.
2. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and beat well. Add the dry ingredients a little at a time and mix until well combined. Wrap the dough in a clean kitchen towel or parchment paper and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter baking sheets.
4. Roll out one-third of the dough to about 1/8 inch thick and cut out shapes with cookies cutters. Sprinkle the cookies generously with colored sugar crystal or candy sprinkles and transfer the shapes to the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes, or until firm in the centers but not browned. remove the cookies from the sheets with a wide spatular and cool on wire racks. Repeat with the remaining dough. Store the cookies in a tin. They can be frozen prior to baking for up to 1 month, or stored in a cool, dark place for 1 week.

Enjoy and Happy Mother's Day!

www.rosannainc.com