Alice's Sugar Cookies

These cookies were recently requested by an old friend who remembered my mother making them. (They are that good people!!) I have insanely fond memories that go along with these cookies. Frosting them was always the best - we made up the rule that if you broke it you had to eat it. The problem was you would start to break them on purpose and give this dramatic performance about how you can't believe you broke another one - then you would devour it like it was the first meal you'd had in days.

This recipe was my grandmothers - she passed away this past July. She was one of those people that did life right, never taking anything for granted and always living up each moment. She took awesome vacations, hit the casino and even had a farm on farmville - one that was well known even! At her funeral was when I decided to make this blog public. There were so many people that I didn't get to see often enough - and so many great women that I love sharing recipes with that it just seemed like the right decision to make this more accessible to them. Whether or not they read it is a different story! :-)

*Before I run through ingredients, I feel like I should note that the dough needs to be refrigerated for about 2 hours before they can be rolled out and baked - plan ahead!

Ingredients:
1 cup of sugar
3 cups of flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. nutmeg - I use more, because I love it
1 cup of shortening - I used 1/2 cup shortening and 1/2 cup butter
1 egg
1 cup of sour cream - sounds weird I know

Incing:
Powdered sugar
Milk
Almond extract
 - You want the icing to be on the thicker side so it stays put. Which means mostly powdered sugar, a lot less milk and a splash of almond extract. It's different every time, but it's always good.

Sift together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and nutmeg. Cut in the shortening and butter using a pastry blender (don't have one? use a fork) until the mixture is good and crumbly. Add the egg and the sour cream and blend until well mixed. Put the dough in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.

Using extra flour knead the dough with your hands a bit until it's no longer sticky. Then roll out with a rolling pin and cut out as you wish. This recipe will make about 5 dozen cookies if you roll them thin and cut them out. I prefer my cookies thicker and a bit softer instead of crunchy. Make them how you wish!

Bake at 400 for about 7-10 minutes.

Oh and did I mention that I have no artistic ability?? Oh, I hadn't... well when you see the decorating job I did on these cookies you will see the proof. My future sister in law is an artist - for real. She once decorated hippo shaped cookies that were so cute no one wanted to eat them. I was jealous then, and I still am. I wish I had even an ounce of that type of talent... sadly I have none!

Enjoy!