shamrock cut-out sugar cookies

happy st. patrick's day!  i'm not irish, so i tend not to celebrate st. patty's day at all.  however, i couldn't resist an excuse to bake some treats to bring into work for my co-workers today.  so, i made sugar cookies in the shape of shamrocks.

if you're looking for a good recipe for cut-out sugar cookies, look no further.  i have made this recipe on several different occasions, and it turns out perfectly every time.  it makes the best sugar cookies for decorating, which is great for holidays, birthdays, wedding/baby showers, etc.

to be festive, i decorated them with green royal icing and sprinkled them with some green sugar crystals too.

cut-out sugar cookies
prep time: 10-15 minutes
baking time: 10-12 minutes
yields: approximately 30 cookies
adapted from bake at 350

ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, cold
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

directions:
preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  cut the cold butter into small pieces and place in the bowl of an electric stand mixer.  cream the butter and sugar together.  add the egg and vanilla.  beat well until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).  sift the flour and baking powder together.  gradually add the flour mixture and beat until combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.  turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it together with your hands.  roll the dough out (about 1/4 inch thick) and cut into shapes.  place the cut-out shapes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  freeze the cut-out shapes on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then bake for 10-12 minutes.  once baked, allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.  decorate as desired.

enjoy!

love, laurie