Back to the Mouse House

          I seriously think they put something addictive in the air at Disney World, the bank account is barely recovered and you start itching to return.   So we're off again this week, doing the perfect vacation for kids and engineers...full-on repeat.  Same hotel, same restaurants, same rides.  Except the dresses, this year the girls decided to be part of Tinkerbelle's fairy clan...Rosetta and Silvermist.   The dresses turned out great, all itch-free with covered seams, but they nearly killed me (bias-cut chiffon...what was I thinking!?).
           Disney has plenty of treats available, but I thought I'd make some cookies for our packed lunches.   This is my basic, never-fail, egg-free and dairy-free sugar cookie recipe.  I've tried others, and I keep coming back to this one.  I love it because it is infinitely adaptable. It works with whatever fat you have in the house..shortening, margarine, coconut oil.  I used butter-flavored Crisco today.  You can play with the flavorings, you can play with the sugars, you can play with colors, you can splurge on fun cookie cutters.  It always works.

Infinitely Adaptable Sugar Cookies

1/2 cup shortening (or margarine, or coconut oil)
2/3 cup sugar (or some brown sugar)
1/4 cup soymilk + 1T cider vinegar

2 cups flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1T. vanilla (optional)
1/8 t. lemon oil (optional)
a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg (optional)

1.) In a large bowl, cream the sugar and shortening together until smooth, add in the thickened soymilk and beat until smooth again.
2.) Add the vanilla, lemon oil or whatever spices/flavorings you are using and mix well.
3.) Add soda, salt and flour. Mix until everything comes together.
4.) Wrap in plastic wrap, shape into a big disk and freeze for 1/2 hour.
5.) Roll to 1/4 inch thickness and cut out as you like.
6.) Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheets at 350. 10 minutes will give you soft cookies (they may seem barely baked, but they'll firm up when cooled), 14-16 minutes will give you golden brown edges and they'll be crispy.
7.) Cool completely before icing.

Cookie Icing

2 cups powdered sugar
2 T. corn syrup
2-3T. water



Mix well, getting out all the lumps. Color as you'd like. Dip the cookies or pipe on the decorations!