Cookie Exchange

This year's Mom to Mom cookie exchange was a couple weeks ago but I'm just now able to post my pictures and recipe. My cookies took the prize for best lookin' cookie! I loved what my friend Stephanie did with her Haystack cookies. She used them for the hay in the manger by putting Nativity scene figures around them and Baby Jesus on top. Really clever...which is why she won for best presentation!





Ulimate Sugar Cookies

1 cup White sugar
1/2 cup butter (room temp)
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon bakingpowder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat 375 degrees.Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. set aside. In a large bowl beat butter, sugar and shortening until well blended. Add combined dry ingredients and mix. Separate dough into several balls, roll out and cut into shapes. Place shapes on cookie sheet and bake for 5-9 minutes.


Icing:

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (sifted after measuring)
1 tablespoon low-fat milk (skim or 1% is fine although I have made this successfully using 2% fat milk)
1 tablespoon corn syrup (more if needed to reach desired consistency)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
food coloring (use colors of choice)
Change Measurements: US Metric

1 VERY IMPORTANT; the confectioners sugar must be sifted before using. 2 In a bowl beat the sifted confectioners sugar with milk until smooth. 3 Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until smooth and glossy (if icing is too thick add in a small amount of corn syrup). 4 Divide into as many separate bowls as desired. 5 Add in different food coloring to each bowl beating/whisking until the intensity is achieved. 6 Paint the icing over the cookies using a brush or dip the cookie edges into icing (this will set quite quickly). 7 Place cookies on waxed paper to dry.