serves 24
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Frosting:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, or more as needed
1 tablespoon milk, or more as needed
colored sprinkles, as needed
Beat white sugar, shortening, buttermilk, egg, and vanilla together in the bowl of a stand mixer (such as KitchenAid) fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy.
Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a separate bowl; beat into sugar mixture, ½ cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
Pat dough into a square shape; wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate dough, 2 hours to overnight.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface using a lightly floured rolling pin to desired thickness.
Cut dough into shapes using cookie cutters; place onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake in the preheated oven until bottoms begin to lightly brown, 8 to 12 minutes. Cool cookies completely on wax paper or a wire rack, 15 to 30 minutes.
Combine confectioners’ sugar and milk in a bowl until forms a paste, adding more sugar or milk until frosting reaches desired consistency.
Thinly spread frosting onto cooled cookies; cover with sprinkles.
Notes:
Make sure to use a level teaspoon of baking soda and a heaping tablespoon of baking powder.
Grandma Amico used to say never combine different cookie shapes on a baking sheet because different cookie shapes differ in size and, therefore, vary in baking time. If you don’t bake them long enough, they will fall. If you bake them too long, they will brown on the edges and get hard. Over the years, I have had to vary the baking time and temperature of these cookies depending on the oven I used, so it’s always good to do a small test batch before you commit to a baking time and temperature. If your cookies are flat, lower the temperature and bake a little longer.
The frosting is easiest to work with, not chilled, as it spreads better on the cookies.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
153 Calories
5g Fat
26g Carbs
2g Protein