Super Fast Sugar Cookies with Sprinkles!

Here's a recipe with lots of decorating possibilities:

Sugar Cookies with Options

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 1 egg
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

PREPARATION:
Soften butter in microwave till it is practically melted. Put it in the kitchenaid bowl with the sugar, vanilla and egg. Then stir. Sift dry ingredients together and add them to the wet mixture. Stir until a dough is formed.

Pull off quarter-sized, up to 1 1/2-inch, pieces between palms of hands to form balls. Place on cookie sheet and smash down with the palm of your hand.

Next shake sprinkles on top of cookies or pick up cookies one at a time and dip them into a plate of sprinkles and place them back on cookie sheet.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake cookies for about 11 to 13 minutes, or until edges just begin to turn light golden brown. Watch for overbaking. Cool 1 minute, then remove from cookie sheet.


Some fun sugar coated options:

Colored Sugar
Mix a drop or more of food coloring with table sugar about 1/2 inch deep in a small Pyrex bowl. Stir until colored. Prepare several colors or tones of colors.

Ball Version
Place a ball of dough in Pyrex bowl and rotate around until covered by colored sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Mash down with your the palm of your hand or the bottom of a drinking glass.

Really Lazy Version
Shape dough into a roll as evenly as possible. Cut into 1/4-inch slices, place on ungreased cookie sheet and dust with colored sugar or other bottled decorations.

Decorative Version
Roll chilled dough out flat and 1/4-inch thick. Use cookie cutters to make shapes. For leaves, cut them freehand. Dust with bottled decorations or colored sugar.

Amazing Pesto Sauce Recipe!

Recipe for Basil Pesto:

1 1/2 cup Basil – before chopping
3 Tablespoons Pine Nuts (You can use any nut substitute, almonds, walnuts; ALMONDS ROCK!)
1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Small clove of garlic

Throw all of this in a blender or a food processor and grind it to your desired thickness. This recipe makes one cup of prepared pesto. You can pour it over pasta, use it as a pizza sauce, a dip, whatever you want! You can also freeze it and use it later.