Harriett Mariah Runnels' Christmas Sugar Cookies

This makes a lot of cookies. I use the large 5- to 6-inch cutters and get four to five dozen.

Recipe courtesy of the great grandmother of iVillage member triciae

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened		1 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
2 cups sugar		5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs, slightly beaten		1 cup whole milk, soured (add about a tablespoon of lemon juice to regular milk)
1 teaspoon baking soda		Granulated sugar or colored sugar crystals
2 teaspoons baking powder		1 egg and 2 tablespoons water, blended together, for the glaze
1/2 teaspoon salt

Prep: 20 min Total:

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1
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and continue beating until mixture is light yellow.
2
Stir in the baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.
3
Alternate adding equal portions of the flour and soured milk, stirring well after each addition. When the flour is completely blended into the butter-sugar mixture, you will have a soft dough.
4
Shape dough into a ball. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours, or until dough is slightly firm.
5
Once chilled, divide the dough into two equal portions and return one portion to the refrigerator.
6
On a lightly floured pastry board, roll one portion of the dough to approximately 1/4 inch thick. Cut cookies using traditional Christmas-shaped cutters. Place cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and brush lightly with the glaze. Sprinkle with granulated sugar or colored sugar crystals.
7
Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cookies will puff slightly during baking. Do not overbake. They should be set, but still white. The cookies will be slightly firm to the touch, but still soft. These are not crunchy sugar cookies.

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