Photo by Theresa Stanley
This recipe for "Damn Good Sugar Cookies" is part of a decades-long Christmas cookie tradition that chef Ouita Michel – the force behind many beloved Central Kentucky restaurants, including the recently opened Zim’s in Lexington's old historic courthouse – and her sister, Paige, share with their children.
“I think of my mother, grandmother and great-grandmother every Christmas as I read their handwritten recipe cards,” Michel said. “I never open my grandmother’s recipe box except once a year, so that they release only the faintest scent of her, and her home can remain imprinted on the cards and in the box.”
Traditions are started by a single act – maybe this recipe can help spur a new tradition to share in seasons to come.
Damn Good Sugar Cookies
By Chef Ouita Michel, Pam Sexton (Michel’s mother), Ouita Peyton (Michel’s grandmother), Myrtle Mollie Zimmerman (Michel’s great-grandmother), and Lucretia Ward (Michel’s great-great-grandmother)
For the cookies:
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
½ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
Pinch (¼ teaspoon) of salt
Dash of vanilla, about a scant 1 teaspoon
4 cups all-purpose flour (may need a bit more)
Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, beating in between each egg. Add sour cream. Add baking powder, salt, vanilla and enough flour to make a soft dough. Add a little more flour, if necessary. Taste the dough to make sure the sweetness is to your liking. Chill dough for at least one hour, preferably overnight in the refrigerator. Roll dough thin, about ¼-inch thick.
Cut into shapes, bake at 375 degrees for about 12 minutes, depending on your oven. Remove cookies from baking sheet and let them cool on brown paper bags. When they are thoroughly cool, they are ready for icing.
For the icing:
2 pounds powdered sugar
½ pound butter
1 cup sour cream
1½ teaspoon vanilla
Melt the butter, beat in the sugar. Add the sour cream and vanilla. Beat at high speeds until creamy and fluffy. Divide into bowls and color with food coloring.