"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas....."

Every "picture perfect" Christmas scenario includes a roaring fire, stockings hanging, a steamy mug of hot chocolate, family all around and the wind blowing swirls of snow outside. Whoever decided this was "picture perfect" neglected to show us the days after Christmas when the snow kept falling and falling and falling and falling. Welcome to Kansas' Christmas 2009! Needless to say, I have had nothing but time on my hands. After I saw our poor maintenance man shoveling everyone's steps and sidewalks I decided to give him a little thank you gift, little bite-sized snowflake cookies.

I found this sugar cookie recipe a few months ago (thank you Martha) and it is AMAZING if I do say so myself!








Basic Sugar-Cookie Dough

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons salt
5 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, vanilla, and salt; mix on medium speed until combined. With mixer on low speed, add flour in 2 batches, mixing just until incorporated.
3. Divide dough into 4 equal portions. Place each on a piece of plastic wrap; flatten into disks. Wrap in plastic wrap, refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours or up to 1 week. (I put mine in the freezer for about 30 minutes and it worked just as well)
4. After the dough is chilled, unwrap and roll out to desired thickness. (I rolled mine to about 1/4 inch thick. The thicker the cookie, the easier it is to handle when you transfer it to the cookie sheet.)
5. Bake for 9-10 minutes.


Royal Icing

3 tablespoons meringue powder
4 cups sifted confectioners sugar
6 tablespoons water

Directions:
Beat all ingredients at low speed for 7 to 10 minutes, or until icing forms peaks. (This consistency works best for piping along edges to create a barrier.)
Add water 1 tablespoon at a time to achieve a thinner consistency for filling in the surface, also known as flooding.
Tip: Keep icing covered with a wet kitchen towel at all times, it can dry out quickly.