Roll and Cut Cookies For Decorating

Ingredients

• 2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1-½ cups sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg and set aside. Using flat paddle, cream butter on high speed until light and fluffy.  Reduce speed to lowest setting. Add sugar, egg, and vanilla, mixing thoroughly. Gradually add dry ingredients; continue mixing until thoroughly mixed.
3. NEXT STEP, FOR STANDARD BATCH BAKING: On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to ¼ - 1/8-inch thick. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters and transfer to cookie sheet. Cookies can then be decorated two ways: before baking with candies, decorating sugar, and sprinkles, or decorated with icing after baked cookies are cooled.
   NEXT STEP, FOR CHILDREN’S COOKIE PARTY: Separate dough into lemon-size or egg-size balls – one for each child. Place each ball on a separate sheet of parchment paper and roll out to ¼ - 1/8-inch thick. Give one sheet to each child to cut with cookie cutters. Take extra scraps and re-roll for more cookies. Children can decorate cookies with candies, colored decorating sugar, or sprinkles. Place sheets of parchment paper (with cookies still on them) directly to cookie sheets for baking.
4. Bake cookies on ungreased baking sheet for 6 to 7 minutes or until lightly golden around edges.
5. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to wire rack to cool completely.

Serves: 3 dozen

Test Kitchen Tip:  This recipe can be doubled. Divided in dough in half and roll into a balls. Cover each with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 days before rolling and baking.