My mom has a tried and true sugar cookie dough recipe that she has used for many, many years. They are so yummy!
I thought that the dough would be perfect for giving as a gift this year paired with some cookie cutters and sprinkles.
This is a relatively frugal gift and is also great for gift giving when you want to give something homemade but don’t have a lot of time.
Also pictured in this set is a rolling pin and a cookie sheet. You can add all of the things I did or simply give the cookie dough. I am sure the recipients will be thrilled regardless of what extras you put in the gift set.
I made a batch of sugar cookie dough (recipe at the end of this post) and divided the dough into four equal sized balls.
Then, I placed each ball on a large piece of plastic wrap and wrapped it up. Next, I rolled the ball into a log.
At this point I put the dough into a freezer bag and stored it in my freezer until I was ready to give it to the recipients.
When it was time to give the dough away, I wrapped it in a piece of freezer paper and taped it closed. A ribbon tied to each end and a label glued to the front were the finishing touches.
If you want to use the labels I made simply click the link below.
Cookie Dough Labels
Of course, we had to test out the dough. Joseph was very serious about his work and thoroughly enjoyed making cookies.
Janna was a little less sure of what to do and ended up using the small amount of cookie dough I gave her as play dough.
We only put colored sugar on the cookies before baking instead of icing them afterwards. I like to either use colored sugar or sprinkles because they make decorating the cookies easier and much less sweet than icing them would.
If you would like my mom’s sugar cookie recipe I have typed it up below. Just be aware that it makes a ton of cookie dough. Like I said earlier, you can divide it into fourths.
Even if you don’t give any of the cookie dough away, I recommend making one batch and freezing the rest in logs for later use.
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Shortening
- 1 Stick Butter (1/2 Cup)
- 2 Cups Sugar
- 4 Eggs
- 2 tsp. Vanilla
- 4-5 Cups Flour
- 2 tsp. Baking Powder
- 2 tsp. Salt
- Powdered Sugar or Additional Flour
- Sprinkles or Colored Sugar (Optional)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening, butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, combine 4 cups flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the shortening mixture, mixing well before adding more.
- Add a little more flour at a time until the dough is no longer sticky but not stiff.
- Chill the dough for an hour.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Divide the dough into 4 sections and work with one section at a time.
- On a floured or powdered sugar surface use a rolling pin to roll the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch.
- Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes.
- Place cookies on cookie sheets.
- Sprinkle with colored sugar or sprinkles, if desired.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes.
- Allow to cool slightly then transfer to wire racks to cool.
- Once cooled, eat or decorate with icing if sprinkles or colored sugar weren't used.
Notes
Be careful not to use too much flour when mixing up the dough. If it has too much flour the dough will become too stiff. I recommend using no more than 5 cups. You can always add more when rolling the dough out. Chilling the dough will help it be less sticky as well.
I like to line my cookie sheets with parchment paper because the cookies will slide right off.
Baking the cookies for 6 minutes will yield a very soft cookie while 8 minutes will give you a crunchier, but not too crunchy cookie.
Powdered sugar is a tasty option for rolling out the cookie dough instead of using more flour.
This dough is works great for freezing. Simply put sections of dough on a large piece of plastic wrap and roll into a log. Freeze in a freezer bag until ready to use. Thaw the dough in the refrigerator prior to using. You can even use the log of dough to make slice and bake cookies.
Palm shortening is a healthier option than traditional shortening. You could use all butter if you wanted, but the dough might be slightly different to work with.