Sugar cookies like Mom made

Hi everyone!  I'm going to keep this post short, because it's getting late and I've got lots more that I want to do tonight.  But I wanted to share with you what a typical Iowan does when there's a blizzard in December.

We bake.  A lot.  With ingredients that we already have in our cupboards, since we don't want to venture outside.

I've been itching to dig out my mom's old cookie cutters and make some sugar cookies.  I'm still experimenting with different sugar cookie recipes from old church cookbooks until I find one I like.  The one I tried last weekend came from a recipe submitted by a good friend's mom, who also happened to be a home ec major in college.  So I knew it had to be a good one.

But to be honest, these cookies turned out a little odd.  If I rolled them out to a moderate thickness, they spread out of shape when baked.  But if I rolled them out a little thinner, they kept their shape, but they were as fragile as ice crystals.  I think it's because the cookie dough was made with butter, not shortening, but that's just a guess.  They were still fun to make.

I like to use a powdered sugar frosting -- about a 1/2 C. powdered sugar mixed with a tablespoon or two of milk -- on sugar cookies, just like my mom used to make when we were kids.  It's so much fun seeing the white frosting turn green from the food coloring.  And my hubby liked how the frosting was shiny when it set.

Do you have a favorite cut-out cookie recipe?  Do you use shortening, margarine or butter for your cutout cookies?  I'd appreciate any advice.