My favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe

My Favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe

Last Fall, I bought a cookie press with the image of a Skeleton. I searched for a good Sugar Cookie recipe. It was tough to find one that wouldn't melt/spread as it baked-thus losing the image.

Skeleton Sugar cookies

I tried various recipes. To my disappointment, in order to get the image I had to sacrifice taste. While the skeleton image is cool- I still wanted a yummy cookie.  Later, for the Christmas season, I held two cookie baking parties and again we experimented with Sugar Cookie recipes.  This time the goal was not about the press but merely something the kids could decorate and be tasty. 

I was satisfied but still not in love with the cookies. (oh and let's not forget Frosting. I'm always looking for a good frosting recipe!)

Then, I went to brunch where I was lucky enough to sit across someone who worked in a bakery. (I could not WAIT to talk to her about baking! It's fascinating to me and I was excited to pick her brains!

But back to the sugar cookies. She said I should look for a Cream Cheese Cookie recipe. She said that's what they always use at her bakery. oooh I dashed home to look it up.
I found this recipe:

cream-cheese-sugar-cookies

The website not only covered this delicious (and EASY) cookie recipe but it also contains the best Royal Icing recipe (ALSO easy) I have ever found.

Here are the cookie ingredients and directions:

Dough

• 1 cup soft butter
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1½ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ tsp almond extract
• 3½ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

1. Blend butter and cream cheese. Add sugar and egg. Mix in remaining dry ingredients and blend into the creamed mixture. Chill for 1 hour. Roll out dough on floured surface until ¼ inches thick (a must!) Cut with desired cookie cutter shape and bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Let cookies cool.

Here are the icing ingredients and directions.

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons soft butter

¼ tsp almond extract

Milk to desired consistency

1. Mix all your frosting ingredients and add some food coloring if desired. For these apple cookies, I used Wilton's Leaf Green and Red Icing colors. Frost cookies when cool. Add any desired decorations. I used some red sanding sugar on the red frosting.

(I didn't use food coloring as directed from the original website-she was creating apples and I wanted fluffy white clouds and a white frosting under the sprinkles. You can certainly add any color you wish to match whatever shape you cut out!)

I hope you will try these cookies. I have made them twice now and can not stop myself from eating them!!!  

These cookies are from my daughter's 4th birthday. The theme was My Little Pony. The Cloud cookies were my favorite though she loved the ones with the sprinkles!  (something for everyone!)

This recipe is easy, delicious AND holds it's shape. No melting or spreading as you bake. They are truly my favorite sugar cookie recipe. Do you have another Sugar cookie recipe? I'd love to share!! 

Happy Baking!

Skeleton Sugar Cookies

Skeleton Sugar Cookies

I have a friend named Marnie that LOVES Halloween. She even got married near October 31st so her wedding could have a tasteful Halloween theme. So, when I saw this cookie stamp at World Market, I just had to try it! 

The stamp came with instructions that simply suggested finding a recipe that did not use baking powder. The reason being that you don't want the cookies to rise and thereby lose the stamped image. 

I thought, "How easy. No baking powder. Easy enough!"

Roll a walnut sized ball of dough and press the dough flat with the stamp.

Here is a cookie stamped (before baking) using the first recipe I found. No baking powder! However, the minute they went into the hot oven, they spread and the image was totally lost.

Tasty but…..

First batch……Fail!  

The only reason these have a slight image is as they came out of the oven my husband pressed the stamp on them while still hot. (The first batch-totally blank)

They were good sugar cookies-chewy and sweet. Taste-success. Skeleton-Fail.

I decided to try again. I Googled cookie stamp recipes and chose this one.

Brown Sugar Short Bread Recipe

The recipe is very simple:

1 c. butter
1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
2 tsp. white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. sifted flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter with sugar. Add egg and blend in flour. Fashion into balls the size of walnuts. Flatten with cookie stamp or roll out with rolling pin to 1/3-inch thickness and cut with cookie cutters. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until brown. Makes 4 dozen if a cookie stamp is used or 3 dozen if cut out with cookie cutter.

TIPS- I figured out it's best to have a little flour out. The stamp can get a little sticky causing it to stick to the dough and ruin a press. I would powder the stamp a little between cookies. Also, I learned to roll a ball of dough and place it directly on the cookie sheet (either ceramic so they won't stick or onto a baking sheet or parchment) and press it there. It is much easier than stamping on the counter and then trying to move it to the cookie sheet. They tear or stretch or rip. Better to stamp them right where they will stay!!  Also, the recipe calls for 10 minutes baking time. Mine took almost 20!!  Start with 10 and keep an eye on them till they are full baked.

Yay!  Skeleton Cookies!  Or as Lily Belle calls them "Scallywag cookies!"

As for taste-I'd say the first recipe tasted better but I took the second to work to celebrate October birthdays and I came home with an empty plate. So! I am calling this a Halloween success!!  If you have a different recipe that would work-share in the comments!! I would love to try again!