The bakery departments of many grocery stores often feature sugar cookies, decorated for the season, which are amazingly moist and soft. To replicate those cookies, you'll need a recipe that includes something creamy---like cream cheese or sour cream. Most recipes you'll come across for sugar cookies seem to be the crispy, crunchy type, but there is nothing comparable to a moist sugar cookie. Add icing and some simple decorations, like tinted sugar or chocolate sprinkles, and you'll come up with those bakery-quality cookies for a fraction of the price.
Instructions
1. Combine softened margarine, sour cream and sugar with an electric mixer. Add the egg and vanilla.
2. Add the dry ingredients: flour, soda and salt. Mix on low speed until all ingredients are thoroughly blended and the dough is smooth.
3. Refrigerate the dough for a minimum of 1 hour; the dough will be fine (if tightly covered) for several days.
4. Flour a hard surface and place a small ball of the dough ball in the middle of the flour. Roll to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Avoid adding extra flour since that can make the cookies dry. Roll the dough evenly so the cookies will have the same thickness and bake evenly.
5. Use cookie cutters to cut out the cookies. Place the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet, leaving at least 1/2 inch between the cookies.
6. Bake cutout cookies immediately for 8 to 10 minutes in a 375-degree oven. When finished, the bottoms should be a uniform light brown color.
7. Allow cookies to cool thoroughly on a wire rack, and then immediately store them in an airtight container to preserve their moist, soft texture.
Tags: moist soft, sour cream, sugar cookies
