Victory cookies!

YES! WE! CAN!

I made these cookies for a party last night, and what a party it turned out to be. You might want to make these today because you're probably in a celebratory mood. At least, I hope you are.

This recipe is from my sister-in-law Kristen. The family looks forward to her delicious Christmas cookies every year, and I just frosted these with a fluffy and easy frosting that I topped with red, white, and blue decorations.

The key to these is to not bake them too long. They should be soft cookies. They will keep, unfrosted, in tupperware in the freezer until you're ready to frost them. Put wax paper between the layers.

Kristen's famous sugar cookies (makes a couple dozen, depending on your cookie shapes)

2/3 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1.) Combine the butter, egg, milk, and vanilla in one bowl, and mix.

2.) Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in another bowl, and mix.

3.) Combine the two mixtures, bit by bit, and mix well with an electric mixer, if you have one.

4.) If the batter seems too soft to cut shapes out of, cover and chill it in the fridge for a half hour. Lightly flour a flat surface and roll out about 1/8-to-1/4-inch thick dough.

5.) Cut out your shapes. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet (an air-bake one works well). Bake at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes.

6.) Cool on a wire rack completely before frosting.

Fluffy white frosting (for about 4 dozen small cookies or one 10-inch tube cake)*

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

2 egg whites

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.) Combine sugar, water, and cream of tartar in a sauce pan. Cook, stirring often, until bubbly. Sugar should be completely melted.

2.) In a mixing bowl, combine the egg whites and vanilla. Add the sugar mixture very slowly, beating with an electric mixer on high speed the whole time. Stiff peaks should form after about 9 minutes, and that's when the frosting is done. (I put mine in the fridge for about 20 minutes before using. It was easier to handle.)

* from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book