Tara Lynn's Favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe

We now make these every year at Christmas and at least a few other holidays. Here's why I think this is the best sugar cookie recipe:

1) They are delicious! Simple as that. They have a sweet, buttery, almond flavor that satisfies the tastebuds without being overpowering or leaving you wanting more.

2) They keep their shape. There's nothing worse than cutting out all kinds of fun shapes and then not being able to tell what anything is after it is baked. These will expand a little in the oven, but overall they keep their intended shape. Just check out this cool Grinch cookie press design we tried this year!

3) They last for a while! At least...they don't go stale when kept in a Tupperware container for weeks. But...if you crave these bad boys like I do, you'll be lucky if there are any left after a week.

4) They taste even better with icing! Making cookies with kids is messy enough so we don't bother making the icing so I can't vouch for the icing recipe. We usually get the squeezable bottles of colored icing that hardens. OMG! That extra sugary taste takes this cookie over the top (and the calories straight to my hips).

One thing to note: Don't expect the dough to taste as good as the cookies. This isn't dough like the rolls of pre-made sugar cookie dough you find at the grocery store. You really feel the grain of the sugar in those. This dough is much smoother.