Sugar cookie cutouts!

I love baking cutout cookies for the holidays. I've tried different recipes and this is my favourite. The cookies keep their shape while baking. The key is chilling the dough. Get the kids in the kitchen and have some cookie fun!

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Chill dough: 2 hours or overnight
Bake time: 7 to 10 minutes per batch
Oven: 375 degree Fahrenheit
Cookies: approximately 36 cookies when using a 2 ½ inch cutter

Ingredients:
2/3 unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
2 cups of all-purpose flour

Directions:
With an electric mixer beat butter for 30 seconds (if you don’t have an electric mixer you can cream the butter and sugar by hand). Add the granulated sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat until combined. Add in the egg, milk and vanilla. Add almond extract, if using. Beat in the flour. Chill this cookie dough for a minimum of 2 hours, or overnight. This is important – don’t skip it! Chilled dough is easier to work with.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out half of your dough. I recommend working in small batches and keeping the dough you aren’t using chilled. Roll the dough to ¼ inch thick. Using 2 ½ inch cookie cutters, cut dough into shapes. Place the cutout cookies on a baking pan that’s lined with foil or parchment paper.
Place the pan with the cutout cookies in your refrigerator to chill while the oven preheats to 375 degrees. This helps the cookies retain their shape while baking.
Bake for 7-10 minutes or until the cookie edges have browned. Let the cookies cool then decorate and enjoy!
Baking Tips:
Chill the dough! Please don’t skip this step, especially in our humid weather. Chilled dough is easier to roll out and keeps its shape when baking.
If you don’t plan to decorate the cookies, sprinkle them with granulated sugar before baking.
Lining baking pans with foil or parchment paper cuts down on clean up time.
Oven temperatures vary. Check your cookies at the first suggested baking time of 7 minutes. If they aren’t ready, let them bake for an additional minute at a time. 

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