Amazing, Soft, Sugar Cookies
I love sugar cookies. However, I only make them during Christmas, and other holidays that have cute little cut outs available, like Easter and Valentine's Day. This is something that I take an afternoon making with my boys. They love helping measure and then roll and cut out the cookies, while eating cookie dough. Then as soon as these have time to cool, they will each sneak one to try before the icing fun begins.
This Easter season we had friends over and we baked for hours. There was icing in hair and kids were covered head to toe with flour and bits of cookie. It was a glorious mess. I tell ya, it's worth it. That look of accomplishment they have when they iced the tenth cookie to their perfection and they hold it in awe... love it.
Ingredients :
- 3 cups flour, plus some to roll out
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or almond extract ( I use almond extract)
- 1/2 cup butter milk ( I like the taste better) or 1/2 cup sour cream (you don't have to level the top) my mom used buttermilk but, I don't use it for anything else so I didn't want to waste the remainder of the bottle, sour cream it is.
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick, softened an at room temp)
Royal Icing - I use Martha Stewart's recipe http://www.marthastewart.com/857635/royal-icing
- 2 egg whites
- 2-4 cups of confectioners sugar (powdered sugar). I always start with two cups first and add as I go if I want it thicker
- Juice from one lemon
- Beat the whites until stiff but not dry. Add sugar, lemon juice, beat for 1 minute more. If icing is too thick, add more egg whites; if it is too thin, add more sugar. The icing may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. - per Martha Stewart
- Divide the icing in four bowls and add different food colors in different bowls.
Or a Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 2 sticks butter ( one cup) room temp
- 4 cups powder sugar
- 1/4 cup milk ( add more to thin it out if you like)
- 1 tsp almond extract
start with beating the butter to soften, add powder sugar, milk and almond extract, and food coloring if using.
To get started for the cookies, sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, set aside. Using a mixer, beat together eggs and sugar until pale yellow, whip in sour cream or buttermilk, softened butter, then add the vanilla or almond extract - whatever one your using. I usually use almond extract when I'm making sugar cookies, because some people in the family don't like royal icing and just eat the cookies plain. The almond extract gives them a little something yummy. Turn the mixer to "stir" and add in the flour mixture. Fold the dough out on parchment paper, wrap it up, and refrigerate for an hour. When it's time to roll out the dough, divide it into 4 parts. Roll out the dough thick for a soft cookie, then use cookie cutters to press out desired shape. I usually roll out a thin one from my left over dough for the boys to go nuts with- we still bake those cookies because those are theirs and the boys are pretty proud of them.
I can't tell you enough how much fun we have baking these cookie together!
I got the cookie cutters from World Market, they're stainless steel with silicone. I looked on Amazon for them and cant find them, I linked some other cute ones for ya.
I love these cookie sheets with the wire rack. The copper is beautiful.
