Best sugar cookie recipe??? : )?

I'm making cookies for St. Patricks day to give to my friends at school... whats the best recipe? also, should i make them green with food coloring or would that be weird? if i don't do that i'll just put green sprinkles on.


thanks!!!Best sugar cookie recipe??? : )?
http://www.recipezaar.com/111674





http://baking.about.com/od/cookies/r/sug鈥?/a>


(*-*)Best sugar cookie recipe??? : )?
I think tinting them green would be cool.





Sugar Cookie Standouts


about 36 cookies


Prep: 45 minutes


Chill: 2 hours


Bake: 7 minutes/batch





Ingredients


2/3 cup butter, softened


3/4 cup granulated sugar


1 teaspoon baking powder


1/4 teaspoon salt


1 egg


1 tablespoon milk


1 teaspoon vanilla


2 cups all-purpose flour


Edible glitter, sparkling sanding sugar, or granulated sugar (optional)





Directions


1. In a large mixing bowl beat butter on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, milk, and, vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill dough for 2 to 3 hours or until easy to handle.





2. On a lightly floured surface, roll half the dough at a time to 1/8 inch thickness. Using a 2-1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut into desired shapes. Sprinkle with edible glitter, sparkling sanding sugar, or granulated sugar, if desired. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.





3. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 7 to 8 minutes or until edges are firm and very lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Makes about 36 cookies.





Powdered Sugar Icing: In a small bowl stir together 1-1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar, 4 teaspoons milk, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. If necessary, add milk, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, to reach piping or spreading consistency. (Or, stir together 1/2 cup purchased vanilla icing and enough milk to reach piping or spreading consistency.) Makes 1/2 cup.





Raspberry Sandwich Cookies: Prepare as above, except use a 3 1/2-inch scalloped square-shaped cutter to cut dough. Use a 2-inch alphabet-shaped cutter to cut desired letter out of center of half the cookie cutouts. Bake and cool as above (bake letter cutouts as above and decorate as desired). Before serving, spread 1 teaspoon of seedless raspberry jam over each uncut cookie. Top with remaining cookies with center cutouts to create sandwich cookies. Makes about 14 sandwich cookies.





Merry ABCs: Prepare as above, except do not divide dough in half. Tint one-third of the dough red with 3/4 teaspoon liquid red food coloring before chilling. On a lightly floured surface form a mound by dropping small amounts of each of the doughs close together in a random pattern. Gently shape the mound into a ball. Divide in half. Cover and chill until easy to handle. Roll, cut and bake as above, except use 3-inch alphabet-shaped cutters. Gently gather scraps of dough together to reroll.





Sugar and Spice Cookies: Prepare as above, except reduce granulated sugar to 1/2 cup. Add 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves with the sugar. Roll, cut, and bake as above except use a 4-inch hexagonal-shaped or round cutter. Use Powdered Sugar Icing to pipe snowflake design on cooled cookies. Makes about 20.





Honey-Ginger Cookies: Prepare as above, except reduce sugar to 1/2 cup. Add 2 teaspoons ground ginger with the sugar. Omit the milk and beat in 1/4 cup honey with the egg and vanilla. Roll, cut and bake as directed above, except use a 3-1/4- to 3-1/2-inch hexagonal-shaped cutter and decrease baking time to 6 to 7 minutes per batch. Decorate as desired.
Mmm, I love sugar cookies, and have a GREAT recipie!








The Recipe


1 1/2 cups sugar


2/3 cup shortening or butter*


2 eggs


2 tablespoons milk


1 teaspoon vanilla extract


3 1/4 cups flour


2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder


1/2 teaspoon salt


Early in the day or the day before:


In a large bowl cream the shortening and the sugar. Add the eggs, extract, and milk. In a medium bowl mix the dry ingredients with a wire whisk. Add the dry ingredients to the large bowl. Mix with mixer until well combined. With hands, shape dough into a ball. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.





Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease cookie sheets. Roll** half or 1/3 dough at a time, keep the rest refrigerated. For crisp cookies, roll dough, paper thin. For softer cookies, roll 1/8 '; to 1/4'; thick. With floured cookie cutter, cut into shapes. Re-roll trimmings and cut.





Place cookies 1/2 inch apart on cookie sheets. Decorate*** Bake 8 minutes or until very light brown. With pancake turner, remove cookies to racks; cool. Makes about 6 dozen cookies.





*I've found that if you want ';sturdy and tasty'; cookies you should use 1/2 shortening and 1/2 butter. Shortening makes cookies sturdy and butter makes them tasty.





** Rolling Hints: Sue B. says: '; Roll the dough out BEFORE chilling and then chill. I roll out my sugar cookie dough right after it is mixed up between 2 sheets of waxed paper, place it on to a flat baking sheet and put it in the fridge. Continue until all the dough is rolled out, stacking the dough sheets on top of the first one. You will go through a lot of waxed paper, but the convenience is worth it for me. When you're ready to cut them out, take out one sheet at a time, peel off the top waxed paper, lightly rub some flour onto the dough, replace the waxed paper and flip the dough sheet over. Peel off the now top sheet of waxed paper and you're ready to cut out your cookies. Collect the dough scraps in a plastic baggie so they don't dry out, re-roll when you have enough for a large sheet. I reuse some of the waxed paper sheets for re-rolling the scraps. A couple tips..... If the waxed paper slips on the counter while rolling, wipe the counter with a damp cloth. And while rolling the dough, sometimes the bottom waxed paper wrinkles, flip over the dough and waxed paper, release waxed paper and re-roll. This method of rolling out cookie dough has been a real time and mess saver for me.'; ShadoeRose says: ';I have found that it is difficult to roll if attempting to do so immediately after taking out of the refrigerator. Take a portion of the dough out and put the rest back in the refrigerator as you don't want the dough to get to room temperature. Let the piece you are working with, warm slightly but keeping beneath room temperature. Experiment with different lengths of time of warming until you find the temperature you find the easiest to work with.';





***To decorate with colored sugars: Prepare cookies by brushing with heavy cream or an egg white slightly beaten with 1 tablespoon of water. Sprinkle with decorative toppings.





***To decorate with food colors: Mix 1 egg yolk and 1/4 teaspoon water. Divide mixture among several custard cups. Tint each with different food color to make bright colors. (If paint thickens while standing, stir in a few drops of water.) Paint designs on cookies with small paint brushes.





Try searching google for more tips. I love this recipie and use it ALL the time! The kids love it!
The best sugar cookies are from america's test kitchen, you must try these:


Makes 2 dozen and take 40 min. total from start to finish


Ingredients:


2 cups sugar


2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour


1/2 tsp. baking powder


1/2 tsp. salt


14 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened


2 tsp. vanilla extract


2 large eggs


Set the temp. at 350 degrees


Set aside 1/2 cup of sugar in a shallow dish for coating.


In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.


Beat the butter and the 1 1/2 cups of sugar together in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time, until combined, about 30 sec.,


Reduce the mixer speed to ow and slowly mix in the flour mixture until combined about 30 sec.


Roll cooking dough into small balls, then roll into sugar, then flatten the cookies with the buttered bottom of a drinking glass. Bake cookies one sheet at a time, until the centers are soft and puffy, and slightly browning, 10-12 min. rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking.