Painted Sugar Cookies

Painting sugar cookies is something I've been excited to try with the kids for a while now. We finally did it this week and they turned out great! I don't always have the ingredients for frosting and this made decorating with more detailed designes much easier. Here's how we did it in case you'd like to try it too...

1. Start with a great sugar cookie recipe. (see below- this recipe makes super soft and very delicious cookies!) Don't bake them...yet.
2. While your dough is refrigerating make your "paint" with egg whites and some liquid food coloring. I used 2 egg whites distributed into 4 small bowls with about 6 drops of dye for each color. The egg whites give the finished picture a glazed look.
3. Roll out the dough and cut out your shapes.
4. Use paint brushes to paint your cookies how ever you like. I did a little landscape on one of mine, and the kids had fun painting all sorts of colors on their shapes. As long as you don't glob it on super thick you shouldn't taste the egg whites.
5. Bake your cookies.

Soft Sugar Cookies

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cream until light and fluffy:

1 cup softened butter

1 1/4 cup sugar

Add and cream together:

1 egg

3/4 c sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

Combine and add to wet ingredients:

4 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Mix everything together and refrigerate for 2-3 hours or 1 hour in the freezer.

Roll out the dough in flour about 1/4 inch thick

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes