Before you make cookies this Christmas...

Don't use your mom's sugar cookie recipe!!! I am not a fan of sugar cookies. They're always hard and flavorless. I've tried several different recipes and just tried this one below. They're soft and puffy and pretty good. My new sugar cookie recipe of choice.

Here's a recipe for the cookies and the frosting. I've never made these, but saved the recipe when I saw it posted on another board, in case I ever need it. The cookies got rave reviews from everyone who made them at the time. There was also some speculation that using butter flavored crisco in place of the butter would make them softer - you can try it if the orig. recipe isn't quite what you're looking for! "Like Lofthouse" sugar cookies

COOKIES: 1 cup butter (using butter flavored Crisco makes them even softer) 2 cups granulated sugar 3 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 1/2 cups sour cream 5-6 cups flour (until desired consistency for rolling) ICING: 4 cups confectioners' sugar 1/2 cup shortening 5 tablespoons milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract food coloring (optional)

COOKIES: Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and sour cream. Mix in dry ingredients. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Roll out dough to a 1/4 to 3/8 inch thickness using a generous amount of flour. Cut out shapes and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 8 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Frost and decorate as desired. ICING: In a large bowl, cream together the confectioners' sugar and shortening until smooth. Gradually mix in the milk and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth and stiff, about 5 minutes. Color with food coloring if desired. Can also change the flavoring using other flavors