This versatile sugar cookie is ideal for a cookie exchange!

Sugar Cookies

    1 cup butter
    1 1/2 cups sugar
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
    3 egg whites
    3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    Buttercream Icing (recipe below)
    Chocolate chips (eyes)
    Red hots (nose)
    Gumdrops (mouth)
    Coconut (mustache and beard)
    Plastic wrap
    Heart-shaped cookie cutter

   • Cream butter, sugar, salt and vanilla, Add egg whites and blend. Stir in flour and baking powder until well mixed.
• Form into 2 balls, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate several hours or overnight.
   • To bake the cookies, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Roll a ball of dough 1/3-inch thick.
• Cut out the cookies with a heart-shaped cutter and bake for 6-8 minutes or until very lightly browned. (Baking time depends on the size and thickness of the cookies. Watch them carefully.)
• Cool on a rack.
   • Make Buttercream Icing and divide into 3 bowls.
   • Tint one red, one white, and one flesh color. (Flesh-color can be made by mixing red and yellow.)
   • Turn the cookie so the point is at the top. To make Santa’s hat, pipe icing on the top (pointed) third of the cookie, To make the face, spread flesh-colored frosting on the lower two-thirds of the cookie. Use chocolate chips for the eyes, a red hot for the nose, and gumdrops for the mouth. For the beard and mustache, sprinkle coconut around the edge of the heart and over the mouth.
   • With white frosting, pipe fur across the edge of the red hat and add a pom-pon on the point. Makes about 5 dozen (3-inch) cookies. (Note: This cookie can also be frosted with Royal Icing.)