Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Rolled Sugar Cookies

These are one of my favorite cookies. They are tasty and easy to make but I warn you they can be time consuming but so worth it! I guess I should say they can be as time consuming as you let them. This is a rolled sugar cookie recipe so that means that the final product will be a cookie cut from a cookie cutter. I have never done these as a drop sugar cookie so I have no clue how those would turn out using this recipe.

Preheat oven to 350.  Start with 2 cups (4 sticks) of room temperature unsalted butter. I know there is great debate about salted vs. unsalted. I use unsalted in all my baking, it is easier to add salt then to try to make something taste less salty. Cream the butter and add 2 cups granulated sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. To this add 2-3 teaspoons vanilla, 1 teaspoon almond extract and 1 teaspoon salt. The beat in 2 eggs one at a time. Add 3 teaspoons of baking powder. Once this is all mixed slowly add 5-6 cups of flour. The amount of flour you use will depend on a lot of things unrelated to cooking. The weather, the time of year, the humidity. I find I use more flour in the summer/humid months than in the winter/drier months. Also rainy days require more flour than sunny days. You want your dough to be not sticky but not dry. I think of it like play-dough that has been left to sit for a couple hours. Kinda crumbly until you work it then it forms a nice ball. Make sense? Once your mixed is about 95% mixed turn it out onto your counter and knead the rest by hand. I think I do this more to save my stand mixer but it also gives me a good feel for the dough. Once mixed divide dough and wrap. Pat dough into a flat disc. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. (Hey, it gives you time to clean up the kitchen!) Once the dough is chilled roll dough out between two pieces of parchment paper. I told you this stuff was amazing, remember this post. Tool Tip Tuesday: Parchment Paper. By rolling your dough between parchment paper you are ensure that the first cookie and last cookie taste the same. Why? Because you are not adding any additional flour to the mix. Okay, once your dough is rolled out (about 1/4 inch thick) use your desired cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. Place cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet a chill in the freezer for 10 minutes, yes the freeze, don't argue with me, trust me. The reason you chill in the freezer is cut out cookies will spread and loose their shape if at room temperature. So that means the cute little duck you cut out will come out looking like a creature from the black lagoon. By chilling the dough it holds it shape better allowing that duck to remain and cute duck. Bake these babies for 8-10 minutes. It really depends on the size/shape of the cookie. You want the edges to just start to turn golden. These cookies are best when not over cooked. Once the cookies are removed from the over let cool or if you want an easy way to ice them apply a rolled buttercream to the top of the hot cookie. I'll post this sugar coma induced treat tomorrow so check back! These cookies will keep for about week (if they last that long) or can be frozen for three months. Also the uncooked dough can be frozen for three months. This means you could make your dough in June, bake the cookies in September and hand them out a Christmas. WooHoo! Happy Baking!

Recipe: Rolled Sugar Cookies
2c unsalted butter (room temp.)
2c granulated sugar
2tsp vanilla
1tsp almond extract
1tsp salt
2 eggs
3tsp baking powder
5-6c flour

Mix butter and sugar.  Add vanilla, almond and salt.  Add eggs one at a time.  Add baking powder.  Add flour little at a time.  Mix 95% and turn out onto counter.  Knead dough together.  Divide and wrap.  Pat into discs and chill 1 hour.  Roll dough between 2 pieces parchment paper.  Cut cookies and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Chill cookies 10 minutes in freezer.  Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.


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4 comments:

Amy said...

Hey there! I found your blog through Bakerella & am interested in your rolled buttercream frosting. Forgive me if I haven't looked enough (it's a reputation I have earned, I'm afraid), but do you have a pic of how it turns out?

Shan said...

Hi Amy, WELCOME! I don't have one posted but I will try to get one added later today. I have a few cookies left from a party I did over the weekend that I used it for. I do have to say that it is a great way to ice cookies really fast and that it is not overly sweet when paired with the sugar cookies.

Shan said...

I posted what the finished cookie looks like on the page that I detailed the rolled butter cream icing (http://alifelivedcreatively.blogspot.com/2010/05/rolled-buttercream-icing.html) Hope that helps!

Amy said...

Cool! I love it! What a great look you've got there. I am so excited to try it out! I was planning to make some cup-cakes today for the neighborhood boys (we dont't have any neighborhood girls) but I might swtich to cookies. All the kids know they're my little guinea pigs!

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