Making Christmas cookies always put us in quite an un-holiday mood until we received this no-stick recipe from Lela Grundfossen of Gresham, Ore. We wonder if it's the confectioners' sugar that makes the difference, or if it's just plain holiday magic. When we first printed it in The Pittsburgh Press, a reader wrote to say the recipe could be found in the old "Betty Crocker Cookbook." Whatever its origin, it's a winner.
1 cup butter (no substitutions)
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla and egg and beat well. Add dry ingredients and mix. Chill at least two hours or overnight. Roll out dough 1/8 to 1/4-inch, depending on whether you like crisp or soft cookies. Cut into shapes. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Frost and decorate.
-- By Suzanne Martinson, Post-Gazette Food Editor
Originally published on Sunday, December 13, 1998
