my favorite sugar cookies

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2/3 cup shortening
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup egg white (optional)

Recipe

• mix first 8 ingredients in a large bowl at medium speed until well mixed.
• shape dough into a ball and wrap with waxed paper. refrigerate 2 to 3 hours until easy to handle.
• preheat oven to 400 degrees f. lightly grease cookie sheets.
• roll out half of the dough at a time on a lightly floured surface. keep the remaining dough refrigerated. for crisp cookies, roll paper thin. for softer cookies, roll 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.
• with floured cookie cutters, cut dough into various shapes. re-roll dough trimmings and continue to cut shapes.
• place cookies 1/2 inch apart on greased cookie sheets. to glaze, brush tops of cookies with heavy or whipping cream or with an egg white slightly beaten with 1 tablespoon of water.
• sprinkle cookies with your choice of toppings; bake 8 minutes or until very light brown. remove cookies and cool completely.