Sugar Cookies

 I have never liked sugar cookies, but of course my kids always want to decorate them.  My 7 YO found this recipe online, printed it out, gathered all the ingredients and I helped her make them.  They were good, I actually liked them.  They still aren't my favorite cookie, but I would definietely make this recipe again.

The frosting that comes with the recipe however, was terrible...it was waaaaaayyyyy to thick and too sweet.  I will stick with my own frosting recipe.

The cookie was soft and not crumbly or dry.  When we pulled them out of the oven they were really puffy like a lofthouse cookie, but as they cooled they fell to a normal sugar cookie size.

My daughter got the recipe from this website https://www.tasteandtellblog.com/my-favorite-sugar-cookies/

We did a 2x batch (which are the amounts listed below).  It made 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cup granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 tablespoon milk
• 4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 cup all-purpose flour

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until lighter in color.
2. Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing just until combined and scraping the bowl down as needed.
3. Add in the milk, baking powder, vanilla and salt.
4. Start adding in the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing until the dough is soft but not sticky.
5. Refrigerate the dough for 20-30 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners.
7. Sprinkle a counter with flour. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on the floured counter. Roll the dough until it is 1/4” thick, using extra flour as needed.
8. Use cookie cutters to cut shapes, then transfer to the prepared cookie sheets, keeping the cookies about 1 inch apart.
9. Re-roll any dough and cut into shapes, adding flour as needed.
10. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, for about 8 minutes, or just until set. Do not overbake.
11. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Recipe Notes:

I love to substitute the vanilla extract with almond extract for more flavor.

The biggest things to remember with these cookies is to not roll them too thin or bake them too long so that they will remain soft.

I like to keep them on the baking sheet until they are not hot to the touch at all anymore, about 10-15 minutes.

Royal Icing (for Gingerbread houses)

 Some royal icing recipes call for meringue powder, this recipe does not use it.  I would guess that this recipe is slightly runnier than one with meringue powder, but we have used this recipe for a few years and it gets the job done.

I got the recipe from the NYT Cooking link https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017887-royal-icing  It has 5 stars from 938 reviewers.

Submitted on the website by Melissa Clark

I did a 6X batch for 5 gingerbread houses.  It was about double what we needed.  To be safe I think I would do a 4X batch for 5 houses.

This is a recipe for the classic icing used to decorate cut-out sugar cookies and gingerbread houses. It hardens quickly, so be sure to cover any you're not using with plastic wrap, gently pressing the wrap into the surface of the icing to prevent a crust from forming.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 ¾ cups/1 pound/454 grams confectioners’ sugar
• 3 large egg whites
• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
•  Pinch kosher salt
•  Food coloring, as needed

PREPARATION

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugar, egg whites, cream of tartar and salt. Whisk until stiff and glossy.
2. To tint the frosting, divide into small bowls. Cover the ones you aren’t using with plastic wrap; the frosting dries out very quickly. Use a rubber spatula to stir in desired food coloring. Though not necessary, it makes life easier if you make two versions of each color — one that is thick to pipe the outline on the cookie, and one that is thinned out slightly with a little water to flood the outline.
3. Transfer frosting to piping bags fitted with very small round tips (sizes 1 to 2 work best). Pipe frosting onto cooled cookies and let set, at least 2 hours. Or use a pastry of paint brush to decorate cookies with the frosting.

Tips

• If you plan to heavily frost your cookies, consider doubling this recipe.
• Leftover icing can be refrigerated for a few days in an airtight container (for extra insurance against drying out, press plastic wrap on to the surface of the frosting before closing the lid). Before using, let icing come to room temperature, and mix to combine. If the icing is still lumpy, beat the icing in the bowl of a stand mixer for a few minutes.