It's Christmas Cookie Season!

Christmas is one of my favorite times of year, primarily because Christmas and Cookies go hand in hand. (Can you really have one without the other?! I think not!)

One of my favorite and most classic cookies to make this time of year are sugar cookies. The Ornament Sugar Cookie above was one I made last year for my sister's holiday party and were given out as party favors. You simply can't go wrong serving them for dessert, giving to friends, family or neighbors, or enjoying one with an afternoon latte (my favorite kind of 3pm break!).

I have two go-to sugar cookie recipes that I have shared below. I like each recipe for different reasons and use each for different purposes.

The first is a classic Martha Stewart Sugar Cookie Recipe with Royal Icing. I first found this recipe in the December 2009 Issue of Martha Stewart Living. I still have the magazine, and have made this recipe so many times that the pages are stuck together with sugar (Thank goodness I have it memorized)! But, here's what I like about it- It's simple, straightforward, and yields a perfectly sweet and sturdy sugar cookie. Though I personally prefer the texture of a super soft sugar cookie, these cookies are not overly crunchy or crumbly, but hold up exceptionally well for traveling or even shipping. For the Ornament cookie above, I used this recipe and royal icing recipe- and out of the 40 cookies I shipped from Los Angeles to Boston to my sister, only 2 broke or cracked. So if you plan on shipping cookies this year- this is an excellent recipe choice.

My second favorite sugar cookie recipe was a great online find: Mama's Soft Sugar Cookie. As I mentioned before, I prefer cookies, particularly sugar cookies, to be soft to the bite, yet cooked through. This sugar cookie recipe incorporates sour cream into the dough and these cookie rise and puff up quite a bit while baking. I love how moist, soft and sweet these cookies are. I prefer this recipe for when I am serving cookies in my house, or if I know I do not have to travel far with them. Though they will last about a week in an air tight container (same as the Martha Stewart Recipe above) they are a bit more delicate and will break a bit easier. I also top and decorate these cookies with Martha Stewart's Royal Icing.

I hope you find these two recipes helpful during this holiday cookie season and do Stay tuned! My next post will be on tips and tricks for decorating these Christmas favorites!