Christmas Sugar Cookies

1 . Stage

Make the cookie dough: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat together the softened butter and sugar until creamy. Mix in the egg and vanilla, followed by the whipping cream. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the flour mixture just until no more dry streaks of flour remain.

2 . Stage

Roll out and chill: Divide the dough two. Roll each half out between two sheets of parchment paper. (The parchment makes this sticky dough easier to roll out and the dough also chills more quickly.) Transfer the sheets of cookie dough, still sandwiched between parchment, to the fridge. (Place on baking sheets if neeDed so you can balance the sheets on top of other items in your fridge.) Chill for at least one hour or up to overnight.

3 . Stage

Heat the oven to 400°F

4 . Stage

Cut out the cookie shapes: Peel off the top layer of parchment from one of the sheets of cookie dough. Use cookie cutters to cut out the cookie shapes. If the dough gets too soft, chill it in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes before continuing.

5 . Stage

Bake: Transfer the cookies to a parchment or silpat -lined cookie sheet. Bake 5-8 minutes at 400°F. Remove the cookies from the oven as soon as you see them turning color at the base of the cookie. Let cool completely. Repeat with remaining batches of cookies. You can also gather the scraps, roll them out again, and cut more cookies.

6 . Stage

Make the icing: In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat together Crisco or butter, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. If your icing is too thick to spread evenly, add tiny amounts of milk and thoroughly mix until the icing is the consistency you prefer. Separate into different bowls, add food coloring to achieve various colors.

7 . Stage

Decorate: Spread the icing onto the cookies with a butter knife or an offset spatula. Use piping bags to add decorative accents, if desired. If you want the sprinkle decorations to stick directly on the cookie, brush the cookie with clear Karo syrup and then sprinkle.