Easy and Delicious Sugar Cookies

I've made sugar cookies quite a few times in the four years that Derek and I have been married. Derek has tried all of my attempts and usually gives me the answer of, "My mom's are still better..." Don't  you love being a wife and hearing things like that? It makes you want to chase down their mom and pick apart their brain for every recipe that they've ever fed to their child so that you never have to hear that answer again. 

I made these cookies this afternoon with Jay for our second day of advent and they were a big success. Jay loved eating them without frosting (we had to save an additional five from frosting so that he would eat them... how can he be my child?), and Em was a huge fan of them too. When Derek got home from work I made him eat one and he said, "They're pretty good!", which is actually a huge compliment coming from him. I never wonder how Jay became a picky eater. 

Ingredients: 

Yields 36 cookies

5½ cup + 2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon cream of tarter

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

¾ cup canola or vegetable oil

1¼ cup sugar

¾ cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons water

2 eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

Icing:

5 tablespoons butter, softened

⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon sour cream

¼ teaspoon salt

2-3 tablespoons milk

3.5 to 4.5 cups powdered sugar

¼ teaspoon vanilla

food coloring

Directions:

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tarter, then set aside. In the bowl of your mixer, mix together the butter and sugars for two minutes until fluffy. Then slowly incorporate the oil while the mixer is running. Add in the water and vanilla and mix again. Add each egg, mixing well before adding the next one. Mix your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients until everything comes together. 

Preheat your oven to 350°. Using a tablespoon measure scoop two tablespoons of dough into your hands and then form it into a ball. Place each ball onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Once you have rolled out all of your balls, using the bottom of a round glass, press each ball down until it is about 1/2 inch thick. I got about 36 cookies total. 

Bake the cookies in the oven for exactly 8 minutes and then allow them to cool on the baking sheet for two minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Once they're completely cooled, you can frost and eat!

To make the icing, place all your ingredients into your mixing bowl and then beat them well (about 2-3 minutes) until the frosting is light and fluffy. Add food coloring as desired.