Sugar Cookies: The best ever!
Sugar! Ah! Cookie! Cookie! - I had been humming these words in the tunes of "Sugar, Sugar" (remember the song from The Archies Band) the entire time I was prepping, baking and then eating these oh-so-good sugar cookies! And then chuckling all to myself while the 4.5 year old looked on with a puzzled expression. Growing up we did not have many choices but it was a time I loved and I love these little things that transport me right back to those beautiful days.
This is a very basic sugar cookie recipe which holds up its shape even after baking as it expands very little. So if you want to bake cookies in different shapes, this is the recipe to use.
And as if the calories in these beauties weren't enough I slathered some apple butter on these before gobbling up a couple, or maybe three just before I sat down to write this post! I sometimes dust these cookies cinnamon sugar (1 tbsp sugar mixed with a fat pinch of ground cinnamon) before baking. Dunk these in some melted chocolate and you get another whole new variation!
Ingredients: (Yields about 3 dozens)
- All Purpose Flour - 3 Cups
- Granulated Sugar - 1 Cup + 1 tbsp
- Butter - 1 Cup/2 sticks at room temperature
- Egg - 1, large at room temperature
- Baking Powder - 2 tsp
- Vanilla Extract - 1.5 tsp, good quality
Preheat oven to 350° F. Line cookie/baking sheets with parchment paper and keep aside.
In a medium bowl sift together flour and baking powder and set aside.
In another larger bowl, cream together butter and sugar using your electric mixer until smooth.
Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract. Now slowly add the dry ingredients little by little while beating on low speed. Once the dough starts resembling a crumbly mixture, use your hands to make it into a ball. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough for few minutes. You do not need to chill the dough.
Divide the dough into 4 parts and roll each out on a floured surface till about 1/4 of an inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut into desired shape. I used flower cookie cutters.
Transfer the cookies gently to the lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tbsp sugar on the cookies.
Bake for about 6-8 minutes till they start to slightly brown around the edges.
Transfer to a cooling rack and once they have cooled down store in an airtight container or ziploc bag. These should stay fresh for at least 5 days.
Comments