Sugar Cookies And Other Cookie Information

In 1999 I made these same cookies and served them to the Queen of England at the Miami Food Show after I found out sugar cookies were one of her favorites. She said she loved them and it made me happy when I saw her take two more from a near by table. They really are good. You can cut your sugar cookies out in shapes and decorate them with colored sugars.

My Grandmother Hattie who was my Mom's mom was the first one who made these cookies and I've changed them very little from her original recipe. One average size sugar cookie has about 65 calories. These sugar cookies are considered low fat and each cookie gets 25 calories from fat. My Mom always made these cookies for Christmas and she decorated them with various colors of sugar that she made herself.

You can go ahead and make these cookies ahead of time and freeze them in tightly covered plastic containers with wax paper between your layers of cookies. They will keep great in the freezer for up to six months. I usually start making them in large batches about October and I have plenty made by Christmas. They also make great gifts.

Ingredients For Your Sugar Cookies

1. One And One Half Cups Powdered Sugar.

2. One Cup Unsalted Butter Softened. ( At Room Temperature )

3. One Teaspoon Vanilla Extract.

4. One Teaspoon Almond Extract.

5. One Large Egg.

6. Two And One Half Cups All Purpose Plain Flour.

7. One Teaspoon Baking Powder.

8. One Teaspoon Baking Soda.

9. Granulated Sugar.

Baking Soda Information.

Always be sure to use fresh baking soda or baking powder. If it's been in the cabinet for six months you don't want to use it. You'll want to buy fresh product.

Sugar Cookie Instructions

1. In a large bowl, beat powdered sugar, butter, vanilla extract, almond extract, and egg with an electric hand mixer on medium speed. Mix in your flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Be sure that everything gets very well mixed. Cover your bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours before you proceed with your recipe.

2. When your ready to proceed heat your oven to 375 degrees. Spray your cookie sheet with vegetable cooking spray. I use Pam (TM) because I think it's the best one to use.

3. Divide your dough in half. Roll each half of the dough out on a lightly floured surface to about one fourth inch thick. Cut out your cookies with a two to two and one half inch cookie cutter. Sprinkle with the granulated white sugar before you put them on your prepared cookie sheet.You can cut your cookies out with cookie cutters for the various seasons.

4. Now bake for 7 to 8 minutes or until the edge of your cooked cookies are golden brown. Be careful not to overcook your cookies.

Decorated Sugar Cookies

Leave off the granulated sugar. Decorate your cookies with frosting tinted with various colors of food coloring. You can decorate your cookies with colored sugars, miniature candies, candied fruits or nuts.

Paint Your Sugar Cookies

Leave off the granulated sugar. Cut your rolled dough out into the desired shape with your cookie cutters. Mix one egg yolk well with one teaspoon of water. You can use food coloring to tint your egg wash the color you want it and then brush your cookies with the colored egg wash.

Frost Your Sugar Cookies

You can frost your sugar cookies with vanilla butter cream frosting and have out of this world cookies that will have your family and friends begging you for more. You do want to wait to apply the frosting until after the cookies come out of the oven and cool some. You can use food coloring if you wish to make colored frosting for the various seasons or events.

Ingredients Needed For Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

1. Three Cups Powdered Sugar.

2. One Third Cup Margarine At Room Temperature.

3. Two Teaspoons Vanilla Extract.

4. Two Tablespoons Whole Milk.

Instructions For Making Your Frosting.

1. In a medium bowl, mix powdered sugar and butter with an electric hand mixer on low speed. Mix in your vanilla and half the milk.

2. Gradually beat in just enough milk to make frosting smooth and spreadable. If frosting is to thick, beat in more milk, a few drops at a time. If your frosting is too thin add a little more powdered sugar a little at a time. This frosting is excellent on your sugar cookies.

Greasing Cookie Sheets And Baking Pans

Grease cookie sheets and baking pans only when the recipe calls for it. Manufacturers of non stick pans do not recommend spraying or greasing their pans. Greasing with butter or margarine is not recommend for any type of pan.

Instead of greasing, line cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper so your cookies will come out perfect each and every time. The new baking paper with parchment paper on one side and tin foil on the other side is perfect for this purpose.

Choosing the right cookie sheet makes cookies sweeter by the dozen! There are many types to choose from, including, insulated, nonstick, and dark surface. Keeping at least three or four cookie sheets on hand is a good ideal. When one batch of cookies is in the oven you can be getting another pan of cookies ready to go in the oven.

Oven Thermometers.

If your going to be doing a lot of baking you should make sure to have a heavy duty oven thermometer in your oven and you should also take the time to insure that your oven is level. Many home ovens temperature may be off by as much as 50 degrees and this will ruin your baking so be sure to check that oven temperature.

Choose cookie sheets that are at least 2 inches narrower and shorter than the inside dimensions of your oven so that the heat can circulate around them.

Shiny smooth surface or textured aluminum cookie sheets are recommended for baking cookies. These sheets reflect heat, letting cookies bake evenly and brown properly.

Insulated cookie sheets prevent cookies from getting to dark on the bottom. Cookies baked on these types of sheets may take longer to cook. It's very important that you bake your cookies at the temperature called for in the recipe.

Stand Mixers

If your going to be making cookies and similar baking you really should consider purchasing a stand mixer with all the attachments because the stand mixer will make it easy for you to make wonderful cookies, brownies, cakes and etc.

Unbaked Cookie Dough

You can store uncooked cookie dough in the refrigerator covered in a container for up to three days before you have to cook it. You can freeze cookie dough for up to six months. And you can always go ahead and bake your cookies and store them in tightly closed containers for two weeks or freeze them for up to six months. Let your frozen cookie dough or baked cookies thaw out in the refrigerator.

Removing Stuck Cookies

If cookies were left to long on the cookie sheet and they are difficult to remove with out breaking them put them back into a hot oven for a minute or two and they should come right off the cookie sheet.

Baking Cookies Tips

1. Scoop cookie dough onto completely cooled cookie sheets. Cookies will spread too much if put on a hot or warm cookie sheet.

2. Make all your cookies the same size so they bake evenly.

3. Be sure to buy a metal spatula to remove your cookies from the cookie sheet.

4. Remove cookies from the oven as soon as the edges of the cookies are brown. Be sure not to over cook your cookies.