Sugar Cookies and Gingerbread Houses

I had a Christmas cookie decorating party for the kids.  I invited five other moms and their children to come over and decorate cookies.  This is what they made!  The sugar cookie recipe is below.  Here is a tip that I have learned, I always set my oven at 325 when baking, and I bake items for much less than the time stated in the recipe.  In this case, I did 325 for 4 min, 5 min for bigger cookies.  This way the cookies do not brown and become hard and crunchy. 

I am also planning on making gingerbread houses with the kids tomorrow.  We did it last year, and I decided to make it a tradition, it was so fun.  Here is the recipe and directions for that: gingerbread houses.  I will post some pictures after our festivities tomorrow!

Sugar Cookie Cutouts (from Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Cookies)
2/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 recipe for Powdered Sugar Icing

1.  In a large mixing bowl beat butter with and electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 sec.  Add sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.  Beat in egg, milk and vanilla until combined.  Beat in as much of the flour as you canwith the mixer.  Stir in any remaining flour with a wooden spoon.  Divide dough in half.  If necessary, cover and chill dough about 30 min or until easy to handle.
2.  On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough at a time until 1/8 inch thick.  Using a floured 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter, cut into desired shapes.  Place 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
3.  Bake at 375 fro 7-8 min or until edges are firm and bottoms are very lightly browned.  Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.  Frost with Powdered Sugar Icing. 


Powdered Sugar Icing
In a bowl combine 3 cups sifted powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk or orange juice, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Stir in additional milk or juice, 1 tsp at a time to make drizzling consistency.