Sour Cream Cut-out Cookies

See note below recipe for this technique.

My all-time favorite from one of my grandmas. No one makes them anymore because the dough is so sticky and messy to work with, but they are worth it. If you use enough flour (or powdered sugar) on the board to make them not sticky, it makes the cookies too tough and dry.

A method I haven’t tried is to roll out the dough on parchment paper, cut out shapes, remove the excess dough, then transfer the parchment paper to a cookie sheet and bake according to the directions.

Grandma’s recipe called for all shortening; I’ve substituted a little butter for flavor. I’ve made them with half butter, half shortening, but that’s not even close to the sour cream cookies I remember.

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Sour Cream Cut-out Cookies

Delicious special-occasion cookies. Cut-out or roll and slice.

Keyword cookies,cookie cutter,christmas, holiday,sour cream

Ingredients

• 2/3 cups shortening
• 1/3 cup butter softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup sour cream
• 6 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg I've accidentally left this out: don't make that mistake

Instructions

1. Cream together shortening, sugar, and eggs. Beat until fluffy.
2. Stir in sour cream.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients.
4. Chill overnight.
5. Roll out between wax paper and just enough flour or powdered sugar to make dough workable (too much and the cookies will be dry and tasteless).
6. Keep extra dough chilled while rolling out (helps to make it less sticky).
7. Cut out with cookie cutters.
8. Place cut-out cookies top down in a plate of colored sugar and press so the sugar coats the entire surface. Good luck with this step.
9. Place on greased or parchment-lined cookie sheets. If you don't, you'll have made a lovely pile of cookie crumbs by the time you chip them off the pan.
10. Bake at 375° for 8 – 10 minutes until barely golden.
11. Let cool about 1 minute before removing from pan.

Because the dough is so sticky and I’m so lazy, this is how I shape the cookies:

• Refrigerate the dough overnight (at least several hours)
• Roll out into a rectangle less than 1/4″ thick
• Sprinkle colored sugar (a lot) over the entire surface
• Roll up into a log (jelly-roll style)
• Refrigerate again for a few hours
• Slice log into rounds about 1/4″ thick
• Place about 1-1/2″ apart on parchment-lined baking sheet
• Bake according to directions above