while they play…

cookie therapy…

it’s the weekend. YAY!
I vote we all stay inside today and bake cookies.

no matter what kind of week you’ve had, these cookies will cure any of your ills.
I got this recipe off the packaging of an old Avon cookie cutter kit.
I haven’t found another sugar cookie recipe like it. it’s dense but moist and stands up really well to frosting.

I like it best with course sugar on top but the cookie stays moister when it’s covered in liquid sugar love’n. or, as it’s technically known, icing.

so round up your ingredients, put on your apron and brew some fresh joe.
we’re making sugar cookies.


Sugar Cookie Recipe:

2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 cup Unsalted Butter
1 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 tsp. Almond Extract

Egg Wash:
Whisk together 1 Egg and 1 Tbsp. Water.

Ingredients casting call.

add soda to flour.

whisk and set aside.

Cream butter and powdered sugar until light and airy. (2 minutes)

Add egg. Mix for another minute.

Stir in the extracts.


Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients a little bit at a time until incorporated.

Scrape down sides of bowl after each flour addition.

clean beater.

Once dough comes together, scrape it out of the bowl,

onto a sheet of plastic wrap.

Flatten dough into a rounded off square.

cover with the plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for an hour to chill.

an hour later, we’re ready to roll…

Preheat oven to 375 F.
Flour a board and roll dough out to about 1/4″ thick.

dip your cookie cutter in flour so the cookie will release better from the cutter.

Cut out desired shapes

and place on a parchment lined baking sheet and place into the freezer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut out more cookie shapes and place on a second baking sheet lined with parchment.
Remove the first sheet from the freezer and place the second one into the freezer.
Brush tops of the chilled cookies with egg wash.

sprinkle with course sugar.

Bake for 7-8 minutes.

(Remove cookies when they have puffed up and before they brown around edges. This will produce a softer cookie.)
Transfer cookies to a cooling rack.

Remove second baking sheet from freezer and repeat process until all cookies are baked.

if you want to ice these cookies, instead, do not brush tops with egg after pulling from freezer.
cool cookies on rack. (about 10 minutes)


while cookies cool, prepare icing.

1 egg white
1 TBsp water
1lb powdered sugar
lemon juice

whisk the egg white and water together.
add a few drops of lemon juice.
gradually add the powdered sugar. stirring after each addition until it resembles mayonnaise consistency. (you may need more sugar and you may need less.)


have a tall glass standing by in case you need to put your icing bag down.
now fill a piping bag (or use a Ziplock bag with the bottom corner snipped off) with your icing.
twist the top of the bag and secure with your right hand.

using your left hand, guide the piping tip over the cookie as you gently squeeze out icing.
create a dam by outlining the cookie.

outline about two or three cookies at a time.(you don’t want the outline to dry too much.)

now, fill the dams with a spoonful of icing and “flood” the dam by pushing the icing out toward the dam.
make sure not to push too hard to avoid breaking your dam.

POOF!


you’ve just created yumminess.
now, share some of your favorite cookie recipes.
I’d love to have some to add to my collection. 🙂

happy weekend!

kalurah

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7 responses to “cookie therapy…”

  1. These look yummy! Here’s one of mine:
    Ginger Nut Cookies
    A recipe from my Grandma

    Ingredients:
    ¾ cup shortening
    1 cup sugar
    1 egg
    4 Tbl molasses
    2 cups flour
    2 tsp baking soda
    1 tsp cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and salt.

    Directions:
    Preheat oven to 350. Cream shortening with sugar. Add egg and molasses. Beat well. Add sifted dry ingredients and mix well. Roll into small balls. Dip in sugar and place on greased cookies sheet, 2” apart. Bake 15 minutes. Recipe can be doubled.

  2. Those cookies are gorgeous! why oh why aren’t you my neighbor. I love to bake, but hate to do it alone – no, kids don’t count! – wish you lived next door so we could bake and share a great cup of coffee (Which, btw, you are making with that great coffee maker and yummy chocolate!)
    My grandma was a great baker. She made iced molasses cookies. You have inspired me to hunt down her recipe and do a little baking today.
    Having just returned from vacation – I was eager to catch up on all that you are doing. I love your list of stuff you can’t live without. Also, I don’t know if I’ve commented on your Etsy shop, but its wonderful. I love the gloves! And the little girls beret. You are a very talented gal.

  5. homemadeoriginals,
    that looks yummy! where is the nuts in the recipe? do you just place a nut on top of each cookie?

    Ahna,
    I know. I wish I had a baker-in-crime as well! one of my dear friends, Shelly also loves baking but she lives in the next town over so , alas, I am to bake alone. *sigh*
    I have what I think is the BEST Iced Molasses cookie recipe. they’re soft and moist! 😛
    maybe I will bake those next and post the recipe and some pics. 🙂

    Lauren,
    I’ve tasted both yours and Ben’s creations, so I know your cookies have to be delicious!!
    miss you guys. 🙂

    Ame,
    you know what? back when I was (determined to lose the baby pounds)on a Splenda kick, my mother bought me a Splenda cookbook and it has a sugar cookie recipe in it that I haven’t tried yet. I was going to give it a whirl for my MIL, who is diabetic.
    I’ll email it to you!

    happy weekend, all! 🙂

  6. Oh my word, these do look fantastic. I’m not much of a baker, but I will ask my daughter (who is a baker) if she has a recipe she would like to share. Great photos. I feel like I was there…but without the cookies.