Secret Ingredient Sugar Cookies ~ Our Favorite Valentine’s Day Treat

{Valentine’s Day is coming, so a short break from the Big Family Idea Bonanza Series is in order. We’ll get back to it soon, and thanks for all your terrific suggestions and helpful comments.}

They say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. I’ve found that there’s no better time to put this into action than Valentine’s Day.

My husband doesn’t want me to spend money on gifts for him, and his idea of a romantic dinner is fixing it at home together. Not that we don’t enjoy a night out, but the togetherness is the best part!

Yeah, I’m blessed to have a husband who feels blessed when we make sugar cookies. J

 

The problem with all that is that I didn’t have a good recipe…until I shared my lament with a wonderful Titus 2 woman at church. She shared with me her amazing recipe, one that contained an ingredient I never would have imagined.

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups butter or shortening (I prefer Butter-Flavored Crisco.)

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

4 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1 ½ tsp. baking soda

2 ½ tsp. cream of tartar

1 box instant vanilla pudding

Directions:

Cream together butter or shortening and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl; add to butter mixture gradually. Mix well.

Chill dough. {Be forewarned: if you use butter, don’t chill for long or the dough will be rock hard. Yep, I learned this the hard way.} Roll out on floured surface. Cut out desired shapes.

After transferring to the cookie sheet, sprinkle with colored sugar.

 

Bake at 400 degrees for 5 to 8 minutes. (My oven requires only 4 minutes with Speed Bake.) To achieve softness, remove the cookies when they appear undone.

Makes 5 to 6 dozen.

Giant cookies bake for about 8 minutes.

So dust off those cookie cutters and stock up on sugar sprinkles. Frost some little cookies for your Littles, or make a giant heart with candy hearts around the outside for your man.

Bon Appétit! 

Do you have a good sugar cookie recipe? Do you like to frost cookies or sprinkle with sugar? What are your favorite Valentine’s Day treats?

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