German Cut-Out Cookies

German Cut-Out Cookies

Yummy, simple cut-out cookies everyone will love.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Add two sticks of room-temperature butter to the mixer.  If not room temperature, that's fine, just whip it into shape :)  (just be weary-- I just broke this mixer for that reason-- frozen butter-- too tough).

Whip it up so that no clumps are left.

Add the 2 cups of brown sugar.

Blend it all up.

Add the two eggs and the 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract.

This is what it should look like all blended together (keep stirring!).

Add the 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Mix, mix...

Add one cup of flour at a time, until you add 4 cups (keep track!), mixing well in between.

Once dough is fully mixed with 4 cups of flour, roll out half of the dough to 1/4 inch thick on a clean surface.  If needed, you can flour the surface of the counter for the cookies not to stick (the flour finish will burn off in the oven), but I did not have to.

Cut the cookies into desired shapes, and repeat the rolling and cutting for the other half of the dough.

Place cut out cookies on pans covered with parchment paper, or pans covered with aluminum foil, sprayed with non-stick spray.  Place the pans on the middle racks of the oven.

Put the timer on for eight minutes (mine actually took about 12-13 minutes, but keep checking!).

All done.  Beautiful-- enjoy!

German Cut-Out Cookies

Cooking Time:  12 minutes
Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 42 minutes
Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies (mine: 26 large cookies)

Per Cookie:
Calories: 185 calories
Fat: 7 g
Sodium: 5 mg
Carbs: 28 g
Fiber: 2 g
Protein: 2 g

Ingredients:
1 cup butter (salted, or unsalted) softened to room temperature*
2 cups light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Whip up the butter in mixer until no clumps are seen.
3.  Add 2 cups light brown sugar and mix.
4.  Add the 2 eggs and 1 tablespoon vanilla and mix very well.
5.  Add the 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the mixture and mix.
6.  Add one cup of flour and combine well.  Then, keep adding one cup of flour, until you get to 4 cups, mixing well after each addition.
7.  Roll out 1/2 of the cookie dough on clean counter top (you can you flour if you want-- it will burn off in the oven, but I didn't have to) and cut into desired shapes.  Repeat with the other half of the dough.
8.  Place cut-out cookies on pans lined with parchment paper, or pans covered in aluminum foil, sprayed with non-stick spray.
9.  Place pans on middle racks of oven and bake for 8 minutes, checking often afterward (mine took about 12 minutes to fully bake).

Note:
*Butter does not have to be at room temperature, just keep whipping it until it is smooth, and be cautious about how hard you're working your mixer-- I just broke this one because of working it too hard on frozen butter!

** Adapted from AllRecipe's German Cut-Out Cookies recipe --  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/German-Cut-Out-Cookies/Detail.aspx?evt19=1  **

Try not to eat all of them at once!  Enjoy!