Our Mary Beth came up with a Soft Cut-Out Cookie recipe, she decorated them three different ways to create a lovely platter of cookies.  They look good and taste even better!

Soft Cut-Out Cookies

Makes approximately 2-3 dozen cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup organic butter, room temperature
• ⅓  cup Healthier Option Sweet Mix
• 1 cup coconut palm sugar
• 3 large eggs
• ½ cup organic sour cream
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon Real salt
• 4 cups Prairie Gold flour (scant)

Instructions

1. Cream together butter and sugars until fluffy, then add eggs and sour cream. Mix until well incorporated. Fold in baking powder, baking soda, vanilla extract, and Real salt. Add the flour and mix until a soft dough forms. The dough can be refrigerated overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Roll out the dough to approximately ¼ inch thick and cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place them on a baking sheet and bake for approximately 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on a wire cooling rack.

For the jam-filled cookies

1. Cut out a small heart in the center of a larger heart cut-out cookie and bake according to the instructions. 
2. When the cookies are cooled, sprinkle the tops (with small hearts cut out) with Healthier options sweet mix powdered sugar. Put a teaspoon of raspberry jam on a heart-shaped cookie with no hole in the middle and place the cookie with Healthier options sweet mix powdered sugar on top.

For the chocolate covered cut-out cookies

1. Melt one bag of Lily’s Milk Chocolate Chips or chocolate of your choice in a double broiler or on the warm setting in the oven.
2. Dip ½ of the cookies in the melted chocolate. Optional, sprinkle with Watkin’s rainbow sprinkles.

Buttercream frosted cookies

1. 1 cup organic butter, room temperature
2. 1 bar Lily’s white chocolate
3. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4. ¼ teaspoon Real salt
5. 2 cups Healthier Options sweet mix powdered sugar
6. 2 Tablespoons half & half or heavy whipping cream
7. Simply Delish Strawberry Jello (optional)

Instructions

1. Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler (do not overheat). 
2. Whip the butter until white and fluffy, approximately 4-5 minutes. Add the half & half or heavy whipping cream. Add vanilla extract and Real salt and mix well. Add ½ of the Healthier Options Powdered sweet mix sugar. Add the melted chocolate mixing all the time so it won’t get lumpy. Then add the rest of the Healthier options sweet mix powdered sugar. Mix until fluffy.
3. Strawberry jello can be added until your desired color is reached. This is optional. Watkins Rainbow sprinkles can be used for decorations if desired.

                       Enjoy these multiple ideas for this one recipe!