Roth Family Christmas Cookies (Sour Cream Cookies)
As offered by Kathy
Makes 3 to 4 dozen cookies depending on the size of your cut outs

1 cup butter (softened)
2 eggs beaten
1 tsp vanilla (clear if you have it)
2 cups white sugar
4 1/2 cups flour
Pinch of salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup sour cream

Cream butter, add eggs, vanilla and sugar and mix well. In a smaller bowl sift flour, salt and baking soda. Add flour mixture alternately with sour cream about a half cup at a time into butter mixture.

Separate batter into four small bowls and refrigerate until cold (I do this overnight). Cover the dough with plastic wrap. Separating the dough also keeps most of the batter cool while you are working with each batch. Sometimes I make cookie dough a few days ahead if it fits into my schedule

I roll the dough out on a floured counter top. I make my cookies a number of different ways. First, the thinner you roll the cookie dough the crisper they get. More like a sugar cookie, only better. Christmas cookies are great this way because I always frost and decorate them. The second way (and the way my family likes them the best) is to roll them out a bit thicker. They turn into a cake cookie. Very moist, and again, great with frosting.

For the Frosting
1/2 cup of butter, room temperature
1 tsp of vanilla (or other flavoring. Your choice. Maple, orange or almond would work well)
2 cups of powdered sugar
Milk (as needed for consistency)

Instructions, from Kathy's notes

This is what I do. I usually take about 1/4 cup soft butter (room temp) and put in 1 tsp. of vanilla. Then add about 2 cups powder sugar (again adding slowly one-half cup at a time) and mix. Slowly add milk until the consistency would be easy to spread on cookies. Now I always make my frosting as the cookies are baking because I want the frosting to set a bit because it tends to thicken and I may need to add more milk. It really is just a feel on how you want the frosting to look and spread. Often bakeries have a frosting on their cookies that is a sort of a glaze, but I like mine thicker without that glaze smooth look. More like a cake frosting.

I have also used almond flavoring or maple syrup instead of vanilla. But again it will make the frosting sort of off color. Works ok if you add coloring to the frosting. I guess I didn't put that information in the recipe. When Callie (my grand-daughter) comes over we make cookies and she loves to put food coloring into the frosting. We have had blue hearts and green ginger bread men. I think she is going for that Picasso look. Frost the cookies when they are cool and the frosting is at the consistency you like.

Storage:

I usually put mine in a glass cookie jar when folks are coming over. If I need to keep them longer, there are two places I put them. I always put them in an airtight container or plastic zip lock bag. I put them in the refrigerator, or in the winter I put mine on a shelf in the garage. (Kathy lives in Wisconsin). Most of the time I don't need to store cookies. They are eaten or I send them home with guests. They do freeze well. The cookie dough also freezes well. Again, freeze the dough in small portions. A small portion would be 1/4 of the recipe.

Send email to Zola at zolacooks@gmail.com.