As yummy as they are, I just don't think sugar cookies are worth all the trouble of rolling, cutting, rolling again, cutting some more, then decorating. A friend pointed out that it's more fun with little kids helping to decorate, but I'll have to take her word on that. I'm definitely a drop-cookie kind of girl. But I'm glad that I gave these a shot because they looked really great when I sealed them (the diamond shape and colored decorations gave the sealed packages the look of Argyle!).
Sugar CookiesIngredients
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup vegetable shortening (such as Crisco)
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
colored or coarse sugar, for decorating
Directions
Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl; set aside.
Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl; set aside.
Combine the butter and shortening in the bowl of an electric mixer and cream until smooth. Slowly add the sugar, beating on medium. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla. With a wooden spoon, stir the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture 1 cup at a time.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and divide in half. Place each half on a large sheet of plastic wrap. Flatten into disks about 1 inch thick. Wrap separately then refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 1 week.
To bake, preheat oven to 350° F. Roll to 1/8 inch thick on a well-floured surface. Cut into shapes. Sprinkle with the colored sugar, if desired. Using a spatula, transfer to a large greased baking sheet, sugared-side up. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Transfer to a cooling rack.
Harley decided that she wanted to get in on some of this cookie business. I left some butter and cream cheese out on the counter to soften and popped out to the store for an hour. I didn't think anything about leaving them out since Harley has never shown any inclination to get food off the counter. Well, to my great surprise I came home to find that two sticks of butter and an entire package of cream cheese were missing. I mean completely gone: there were no scraps of wrapping or greasy paw prints or anything. I checked the house over top to bottom and found no sign of the baking supplies. Harley was looking a little uncomfortable, so I decided a trip to the vet was in order (cream cheese is wrapped in the foil-type paper, and I didn't think that could be a good thing to eat). Long story short, after $200 worth of X-rays, Harley refunded the stolen goods all over the exam room floor. I didn't see the $200 as wasted because I found out that her hips are in good shape, she has a bit of arthritis in her back and at some point in time she had been shot twice with a BB gun! Harley seems to be doing fine today and hopefully will pass any remaining junk in the next day or two.
1 comment:
I must disagree regarding sugar cookies. I think the problem is that you've never decorated sugar cookies with us. Perhaps one weekend next December you can come for a visit and we'll show you how it's done!
Post a Comment