My holiday recipe: Simple sugar cookies to keep little hands busy

Every Christmas, Montreal baking blogger Sara Germanotta gets together with her kids, nieces and nephews for a day of cooking, baking and decorating.

As someone who's been experimenting in the kitchen since she was 12, Germanotta was looking for a way to get her children involved without things devolving into a royal mess.

"They love decorating with the icing and the sprinklesthey go crazy. And they eat half the icing, and half of it ends up on the floor but they love it," she said.

"They look forward to it because it's kind of become a little tradition in the family."

When it comes to sugar cookies, Germanottasays the recipe doesn't have to be anything fancy anything can be salvaged with a dab of icing and lots of sprinkles.

In settling on this recipe, she said it's a winner because of how these cookies keep their shape.

"The problem that most people have with sugar cookies is that they end up puffing up and spreading in the oven, and they're all deformed," she said.

When it comes to putting the finishing touches on, Germanotta starts channellingMartha Stewart.

"It's a combination of, like everything else, patience, practice and having the proper tools," she said.

"You keep doing it and you make a hundred mistakes, and then eventually you get the hang of it."

Rolled Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of salted butter, softened
2 cups of sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon ofalmond extract
5 cups of all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder

Method:

Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, creamtogether the butter and sugar until fully combined.
Add the eggs and almond extract.
Reduce mixer speed to low and add in the flour and baking powder, onecup at a time, until fully incorporated.
Wrap cookie dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for atleast two hours or overnight. The dough can also be frozen at this pointfor later use.
Preheat oven to 400F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or asilicone baking mat.
Once dough has chilled, roll out to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness and usecookie cutters to cut into desired shapes.
Place cookie cut-outs on prepared baking sheets and put the entirebaking sheet in the freezer for about 10 minutes to chill.
Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Yield: Approximately 30 cookies