Sugar Cookie Craziness
I have never really been a fan of the Sugar Cookie. I don’t know why, to be honest. I think maybe they typically lack a bit of flavor – but mostly, I don’t like hard cookies. They also make me think of Jon’s cookie decorating skills…at Christmas, when his mother makes little gingerbread man shaped cookies for him to decorate, nary a one escapes the wrath of gray icing, a broken neck (complete with blood), or an overall nasty fate such as being dismembered or disemboweled. Not a pretty picture. (Merry Christmas, Honey…I made you a gutted William Wallace Cookie! Freeeeedommmm!)
But a week or two ago I got an order for 50 sugar cookies, shaped like footballs and decorated in the local High School colors. They were for the team, a treat for after the game. Not wanting the old hard cookie, I sought out something better – and thanks to Lily Von Schtoop – Miss Calamity Shazaam in the Kitchen, I was pointed in the right direction. She sent me to her standby recipe, on All Recipes, but I modified it quite a bit and ended up with a great cookie, full of flavor and NOT HARD! So, since the football cookies, I have been making these over and over (and over).
Next up was Autumn Shapes. And Halloween Shapes. And wedding shapes for a friends upcoming Honeymoon Night. And then last night, ’55 Chevy shapes for my Dad to take and eat during his Car Show this weekend. While they didn’t turn out as great as I had hoped, I was decorating them in the middle of the night and mixing a lot of colors and piping it just didn’t register high on the to-do list. So it is what it is.
Heres a look at some of the creations…the Halloween House & Cat Cookies are decorated by my cousin Claire…a very gifted artist living the dream in NYC. (it IS a dream, right Claire?) The rest – Moi.
Oh, and here is my recipe for the cookies.
Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies
makes about 5 dozen
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon Lemon Extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
In mixer, cream together butter, cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add in eggs and vanilla, beating until smooth. Mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt until incorporated. Coverand chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight) to make rolling out simpler.
Preheat oven to 390 degrees F. Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter or by hand. Place cookies 1 inch apart on cookie sheets lined with parchment or a Silpat.
Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Allow to cool completely.
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
In mixer, cream together butter, cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add in eggs and vanilla, beating until smooth. Mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt until incorporated. Coverand chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight) to make rolling out simpler.
Preheat oven to 390 degrees F. Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter or by hand. Place cookies 1 inch apart on cookie sheets lined with parchment or a Silpat.
Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Allow to cool completely.
Decorate with Royal Icing, if desired.
