I hope December has been off to a good start for you! Tomorrow is our third son's twentieth (!!!) birthday and I'm in complete denial. Last night we whisked the two youngest down to Orlando to see For King and Country's Little Drummer Boy Christmas concert and it was amazing, though I'm feeling particularly tired and old today after getting home around 1 AM. We're not exactly go-with-the-flow type parents so this is a BIG deal for us, ha! And today we drove south again (but only an hour this time) to say goodbye to our other son's college roommate and friend who will be returning to NC for second semester, so of course I brought him sugar cookies.
Which is a good segue into... this recipe for easy, no-fail sugar cookies. They're soft and chewy, the dough is easy to work with, and it makes a lot of batches so you can divide the dough and freeze or chill the extra for later. The baked cookies also freeze well so you can thaw and decorate at a later time. You can freeze decorated ones as well, after they're completely dry, but personally I don't prefer them that way.
No-Fail Sugar Cookies
Ingredients:
1.5 sticks unsalted butter, softened slightly
2 cups granulated sugar (I use slightly less and like it this way)
4 eggs, room temperature
2.5 tsp vanilla extract
5 cups flour (I use unbleached)
2 tsp baking powder
dash salt
*optional: dash nutmeg and/or cinnamon
Directions:
-In large mixing bowl (you will need a sturdy mixer) beat butter and sugar together
-Add eggs and vanilla
-In medium bowl combine flour, bp and salt
-Add some flour mixture to wet mixture, mixing together well
-Place in fridge to chill for ten minutes up to one hour (I prefer quicker chilling time)
-Scoop out some sough and roll out on a flour-covered surface to about 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick or your preferred thickness (thicker cookies will stay soft after baking, thinner ones will be crispier)
-Cut out cookies with your favorite cookie cutters and place on ungreased baking sheet (if your sheet is shiny or new, you may need to spray the pan or line with silicon or parchment paper; my sheets are well-used and now dark)
-Bake at 400 F for 5-6 minutes, depending on the size of the cookies and if you prefer cookie edges not to be browned or darkened
-Let sit on pan 1-2 minutes and gently place on racks to cool before frosting
Cookie frosting/icing: confectioner's sugar and water, usually about 2 cups sugar and 1-2 tsp water
I've been using small squirt bottles for frosting cookies for a couple years now and I'll never go back! To keep sprinkles corralled, place cookies to be decorated in shallow baking pans.
So go make some cookies, turn on the Christmas music, and get to decorating. These cookies make great gifts for neighbors and teachers, too. Enjoy!
