Sugar Cookies I
I don’t like the title “No Fail Sugar Cookies”, as there is always room for mistake(s). I make mistakes all the time… in baking, and (cough) in other areas. There is an endless supply of recipes out there for sugar cookies and icing. Everyone has their own additions and omissions that make their recipe the *best*. Time will help you (and me) to test, tweak, and develop our own “No Fail” sugar cookie recipe… and even then, there is room for error. The good news is, we’re talking about cookies.
- 6 cups flour
- 3 tsp. baking powder
- 2 cups butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract or desired flavoring (I prefer almond or lemon)
- 1 tsp. salt
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Mix dry ingredients and add a little at a time to butter mixture. Mix until flour is completely incorporated and the dough comes together.
Chill for 1 to 2 hours (see Hint below)
Roll to desired thickness and cut into desired shapes. At this point, I put the cookie sheet/cut cookies back into the fridge for 15 minutes, just so they are cold going in to the oven. Bake on ungreased baking sheet at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until just beginning to turn brown around the edges. This recipe can make up to 5-dozen 3” cookies.
HINT: Rolling Out Dough Without the Mess — Rather than wait for your cookie dough to chill, take the freshly made dough and place a glob between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll it out to the desired thickness then place the dough and paper on a cookie sheet and pop it into the refrigerator. Continue rolling out your dough between sheets of paper until you have used it all. By the time you are finished, the first batch will be completely chilled and ready to cut. Reroll leftover dough and repeat the process! An added bonus is that you are not adding any additional flour to your cookies.
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You can also paint your cookies before baking them. Make an edible food paint out of an egg yolk mixed with a few drops of food coloring and paint the cookies with a clean paintbrush. The paint will dry while baking and give the cookie a colorful, glazed appearance. — Mimi Cummins
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Frosting vs. Icing
There is a big difference between frosting and icing. Frosting is thick and holds shapes like rosettes and shells like those you see piped around the edges of a birthday cake. It remains soft to the touch and has a creamy texture, and most people think it tastes better because of the creamy buttery flavor. Icing, on the other hand, is a thinner, more liquid substance, and as it dries it thins out, becomes very smooth across the surface of your cookie, and hardens. This is the icing to use for the most beautiful, professional results. — Mimi Cummins
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This flavorful, smooth, slightly translucent, shiny glaze is great for decorating sugar cookies or drizzling over other desserts.
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla, almond, lemon, or other extract
food color, if desired
Combine powdered sugar, water, 1 tablespoon butter, corn syrup and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in small mixer bowl; mix until powdered sugar is moistened. Beat at medium speed until smooth, adding additional water if necessary, to reach desired glazing consistency. Tint with food color, if desired.
I know corn syrup is the devil, but it adds a nice shine to the finished product.
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Royal Icing
Makes 2 1/3 cups
- 1 box confectioners’ sugar (1 pound)
- 5 tablespoons meringue powder, or 2 large egg whites
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugar and meringue powder. Mixing on low speed, add a scant 1/2 cup water. For a thinner consistency, usually used for flooding, add more water. A thicker consistency is generally used for outlining and adding details. Mix until icing holds a ribbonlike trail on the surface of the mixture for 5 seconds when you raise the paddle.
