Delightfully decorated sugar cookies are a lovely way to say thank-you (my way of saying thank-you to my large-event clients), a thoughtful gift (just because), or to celebrate a special event. These cookies let me be artistic, and are delicious to boot.
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Makes about 9 dozen 2” cookies
Ingredients:
4 c flour
1 T ground cardamom
1 t nutmeg
1# butter – room temperature
1½ c sugar
2 eggs – room temperature
1 T vanilla
Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cardamom & nutmeg.
In another bowl, beat the butter until soft and creamy. (I use my Kitchen Aid)
Slowly add in the sugar, continue beating until fluffy, at least 4 minutes.
Add in the eggs, one at a time. Beat until uniform.
Beat in the vanilla.
Gradually add in the dry ingredients, beating until just combined. 
Divide the dough into 4 parts.
Form a disc from each, and wrap with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate overnight, or at least until firm. I usually make the dough one day, cut, bake & decorate the next.
Preheat oven to 325°
Take the discs out of the fridge about 20 minutes before rolling.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to just under ¼“
With lightly floured cutters, cut the dough as desired. 
Using a spatula, move the cut cookies to parchment lined cookie sheets.
Bake for 14 minutes. If baking two sheets at once, rotate the pans at 7 minutes.
Let cool for a few minutes before moving to cooling racks.
To decorate:
Mix together 2 cups of icing sugar with 3 T of milk.
Divide the white icing between bowls to colour. Use paste food-colouring and add in small increments so you don’t add too much.
Use a 1” pastry brush to spread the base coat.
Let the base coat completely dry (at least an hour), before detailing the cookies.
Use a small zip-loc bag with a tiny corner cut out, or a small artist’s paintbrush to add detail.
Let the cookies dry for a full 3 hours after completing decoration.
Store in a covered container between layers of waxed paper, for up to 3 weeks.
Sanding sugars, and other interesting “sprinkles” can often be found in the cake-decorating section of craft stores and party rental businesses.
farmhouse cook 