Best Sugar Cookie Recipe

 Figuring out what to do for my husband for Valentine's Day is easy. He loves this sugar cookie recipe so much that I can't go wrong making it for him every year. Honestly, it's like husband crack. Sometimes we have to freeze the extras so he doesn't make himself sick eating all of them. The photo above is last year's giant heart cookie with cream cheese frosting. Below are tiny cookies my sister and I made for my daughter's wedding. They have a simple glaze, which was easier than a thick frosting for hundreds of cookies. I can't say we'll be doing that again any time soon, but they were so pretty (and tasty!).

Sugar Cookies

3/4 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Cream together the butter and sugar in a mixer until smooth. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and stir. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Roll out on a floured surface to 1/2" thick. Use cookie cutters or a knife to cut the shapes. (If you are making a large heart, flatten the dough right on the cookie sheet, cut out shape and pull off scraps.) Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 6 - 8 minutes until just set and golden on edges. Cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

Mix the cream cheese, butter and vanilla in a mixer until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar. If frosting is too thick, add a few teaspoons of milk.