Here is a quick and easy recipe for cookie dough that can be rolled flat and used with cookie cutters to make Christmas cookies. It is a great recipe to use with children. It is quick and easy to make and the children can have fun cutting out the cookies in different Christmas shapes and frosting them. Since cookies cut in festive shapes add spice to holidays, this recipe can also be used for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day and Easter.

Cookie cutters were hard to find for a while but they are regaining popularity and inexpensive ones can be found in most stores. They can also be found online if you cannot find them in your local stores. These are generally seasonal items in stores so look for Christmas ones during the Christmas season. I have also noticed pumpkin shaped ones appearing at Halloween, turkeys at Thanksgiving, hearts at Valentines Day and bunnies at Easter.

The dough does have to chill, so I suggest either making it the night before and chilling it over night or making it in the morning and let it chill while you are at work.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon soda

1 cup shortening

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 teaspoon nutmeg

4 cups all purpose flour

½ cup milk

1 - 2 teaspoons of lemon juice

MIXING DIRECTIONS:

Mix lemon juice with milk and to curdle or make the milk sour. Let the milk sit for a few minutes and it will curdle which is what you want. Cream sugar, shortening and egg by mixing them together. Mix dry ingredients and add alternately with the sour milk. Chill dough thoroughly several hours. Roll fairly thin, sprinkle with sugar and bake on greased cookie sheet. These make delicious Christmas cookies when frosted and decorated.

Bake 6 - 8 minutes 375º

Makes about 3 dozen

INGREDIENTS FOR ICING:

2 cups confectioners' sugar

2½ - 3 tablespoons of water

MIXING DIRECTIONS FOR ICING:

Mix sugar and water in a large mixing bowl. Add the water sparingly, using just enough to make a smooth icing. Distribute icing among smaller bowels and add a different food color a tiny bit at a time until you have the color you like in each bowl. Spread on cooled cookies or pipe designs on with a pastry bag. Keep icing tightly covered when not being used. Before icing hardens you can sprinkle with pastel sugars or various decorating candies all of which can usually be found with food coloring and other decorating supplies in the baking aisle in your local grocery store.

These cookies not only make a nice treat to serve during Christmas season but are also a festive treat when served with hot chocolate on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning.