Rita's Holiday Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• Food coloring
• 2/3 cup unsalted butter
• softened
• 2 2/3 cups confectioners sugar", "2 to 3 tablespoons milk", "3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract", "Food coloring

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a mixer, beat shortening until soft.
3. Add sugar, baking powder, and salt.
4. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
5. Gradually mix in the flour.
6. Remove half of the dough, leaving the remaining in the mixer.
7. Add a couple of drops of food coloring to the dough in the mixer, until the desired color is achieved and beat until combined.
8. Form each half of the dough into disks and wrap in plastic film.
9. Chill in the refrigerator until firm, at least 1 hour.
10. Roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness and cut out cookies with cookie cutters.
11. Transfer to an ungreased cookie sheet and bake until firm, about 6 to 8 minutes.
12. Cool on wire racks.
13. For frosting:
14. In a mixer, beat butter, sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth.
15. If frosting is too thick, add more milk, a very small amount at a time.
16. Divide frosting into several small bowls.
17. Add a different color of food coloring to the frosting in each bowl.
18. Glaze each cookie with a different color frosting.
19. A viewer, who may not be a professional cook, provided this recipe.
20. The FN chefs have not tested this recipe and therefore, we cannot make representation as to the results.