Sugar cookies

Sugar cookies

Sugar cookies are a great treat to share with family and friends. I bake these every Christmas and hand them out as gifts. This year, I baked these for Easter too. Only this time, I made cookie pops. I also made some regular sugar cookies for my kids to decorate on Easter. These sugar cookies are soft and pack a lot of flavor. The cream of tartar really adds to the flavor of the cookie. This recipe is for soft sugar cookies. I prefer my sugar cookies to be soft but you could cook them a bit longer if you want them crunchy. Just be careful not to over cook them. They should not turn brown. The photos are of my cookie dough and finished cookies. (Recipe below)

 

Cookie Tips:

• Never melt the butter or shortening even if the recipe says too.
• Always refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour before baking otherwise you get flat stretched out cookies.
• Use pure vanilla extract. It is the secret ingredient to fabulous cookies. I recommend Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract. I purchase mine at World Market or Fred Meyers.
• Use parchment paper to bake the cookie on and you won't need to grease the cookie sheet.
• Bake until almost done most cookies is about 8 minutes a pan and allow to cool on the pan for 1-2 minutes before moving to a cooling rack or plate to cool.
• Decorate only when completely cooled. 
• For sugar cookies always roll the cut out cookie dough in sugar. Coat the entire cookie on all sides before baking. 

Sugar Cookies

recipe by Julie Hodges

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of unsalted chilled butter cubed, do not melt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
4 3/4 cups all purpose flour

Sift flour, salt, baking soda, cream of tartar in a bowl and them whisk them together to ensure it is mixed well. Set dry ingredients aside. In a large bowl, add butter and sugar. Use a pastry blender or your hands and work the butter and sugar together. Then add vanilla and eggs to the butter sugar mixture. Use your hands or a pastry cutter to combine together. Then slowly add the dry ingredients a little at a time. Use your hands to work the dough into a ball in the bowl. Place dough on a piece of wax or parchment paper and roll into a log. Wrap in the paper and refrigerate for 1 hour or more. Dough can be frozen for later use in a gallon sized freezer bag or wrapped in plastic wrap. Allow dough to thaw a little before using if frozen. Roll the dough out on a sheet of parchment or wax paper. Because the dough was chilled for an hour it should not stick. Do not work flour into the dough. Roll out into 1/4 thick sheets or close to the thickness of your cookie cutter unless you are using really thick cutters. Cut out cookies with a cutter. Roll the cut out cookies in granulated sugar before placing on parchment paper lined cookie sheets or roll dough into balls and coat with sugar and use the bottom of a glass to flatten the cookies out. Another option is to slice cookies from the log of dough and coat with sugar before baking. Bake on 350 for about 8 minutes larger cookies may take a minute or two longer. Take the cookies out just before they are done and allow them to sit and cool for 1 to 2 minutes on the cookie sheet before removing them to a cooling rack or plate to cool. Once the cookies are cooled completely decorate if desired. For cookie pops dip in royal icing (I made my own) or melted chocolate and then coat them in colored sugar or add sprinkles.