Frosted-sugar-cookie Christmas bouquet

Here’s a recipe for our favorite sweet treats at Christmastime — frosted sugar cookies!

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t When we were little girls Jamie’s mother would bake a huge batch of sugar cookies for us to frost with our friends. We would gather around the large farm table and spend the afternoon frosting snowmen, angels and stars. I think we ate our weight in buttercream frosting during those fun afternoons.

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t We decided to take those delicious cookies and turn them into a Christmas bouquet. We purchased a vase and a small piece of Styrofoam from the local craft store. We tied a Christmas ribbon around the outside, inserted some greenery at the base and gently pressed an assortment of cookies into the Styrofoam.

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t They make great centerpieces and hostess gifts, and I bet Santa would even enjoy a frosted sugar cookie on a stick — it’d be easier to eat on the way back up the chimney.

Jamie’s frosted sugar cookies

t Makes 6 dozen 3-1/2-inch cookies

Ingredients:

tCookies:

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• 1 teaspoon baking soda

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• 1/4 teaspoon salt

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• 5 cups all-purpose flour

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• 2 cups sugar

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• 1 cup butter, room temperature

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• 4 eggs, room temperature

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• 3 tablespoons buttermilk or sour milk

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• 1 teaspoon vanilla

tFrosting:

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• 1-1/4 cups butter or shortening, room temperature

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• 6 cups powdered sugar

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• 1/4 cup milk

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• 2 teaspoons vanilla

t 60 lollipop or cookie sticks

Directions:

tCookies:

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1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.

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2. In a large bowl, sift the baking soda, salt and flour together, then set them aside.

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3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar and butter. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the buttermilk and vanilla.

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4. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. Do not overmix.

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5. Chill the dough for at least 4 hours or overnight.

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6. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough until it’s 1/4-inch thick. Cut it with your favorite cookie cutters. Place the cutout cookies 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Place a lollipop or cookie stick under each cookie. Gently press the dough onto the stick until it’s secured on the stick. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the middles of the cookies feel slightly soft when touched lightly with a finger. (Cookies will not brown.) Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 3-4 minutes, then transfer them carefully to a wire rack and let them cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:

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1. In a medium bowl, beat the butter until it’s light and fluffy.

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2. Add the powdered sugar and milk in alternating additions, beating well after each addition.

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3. Add vanilla and mix until the frosting is smooth.

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4. Storage: After frosting the cookies, let them stand for a few hours before packaging or storing them. Store the cookies in a plastic container divided by sheets of wax paper. Cookies freeze well.