Cookie Mon-ster

How to Throw a Roommate Cookie-baking Party

Step 1: Find a recipe that will work for everyone. We picked soft sugar cookies. To me, there's nothing better, especially when you plan on adding frosting.

Step 2: Agree on a night where you will all be home and feeling particularly giddy, a mood fitting to belting out Christmas carols as heard on the apartment's DirectTV "Seasonal Music" station.

Step 3: Buy ingredients. If your local grocery store has nothing but imitation vanilla extract (a travesty) climb up the shelves and dig, you are likely to find a lone pure extract bottle back there somewhere.

Step 4: Forget the rolling pin. Who needs one? If you drink alcohol you likely have a cocktail shaker somewhere in your kitchen. We have three. Rinsed clean and sprinkled with a little bit of flour, you will be good to go.



Step 5: Figure out what holiday cookie cutters you have and buy new ones accordingly. I thought I had Christmas cookie cutters. Turns out they are for Valentine's Day. Who says you can't have hearts every day of the year, along with cupids and doves? I think my red and green heart combo came out super.



Step 6: Copyright your Christmas cookie designs. We had some squabbles over designs. "That was my idea." "Don't copy me." "I started first." Yes, we are third graders. It was all very amusing.

Step 7: Make sure you use ample amount of food coloring for the frosting. Our first red and green-colored frosting looked something like Easter egg shades of green and pink.



Step 8: Pack away cookies in tupperware so the local Christmas mouse doesn't get in for a nibble.

Step 9: Eat several, drink milk, lick fingers.



Ingredients:

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 c butter, softened
1 1/2 c white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c sour cream

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a large bowl cream together (or mix with spoon and fork) the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg, vanilla and sour cream until well blended. Stir in the sifted ingredients. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill overnight.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch in thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 1/2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

These cookies are amazing, and I didn't even have an electric mixer, which I was worried about. They are hands down the best cookies I have ever made. Correction. They are hands down the best cookies WE have ever made. Thanks FoxyLady for your help. And thanks LarchmontLass for your creativity. Your Frosty was a winner.