Sugar cookies

I've been baking up a storm thanks to my new mixer!




First night I made a Martha Stewart blueberry muffin recipe. Pictures and a recipe won't be posted, because I learned the hard way that cornmeal is NOT good in blueberry muffins even if martha says it is.

I also made soft pretzels (recipe here) and the mixer took all the work out of the kneading.

James requested frosted sugar cookies, so my sister Caryn came over and we made both the cookies and the frosting in the mixer, and they turned out great! We had a blast. I usually use a powdered sugar/water glaze on sugar cookies, but James wanted sickly sweet frosting like they use at the grocery store.

A few sugar cookie tips:

1. Wait until dough is VERY cold to roll it out. We put it in the fridge for one hour but the dough was still a nightmare to work with. We finally put it all back in the freezer for 20 minutes or so and then it was perfect and easy. Next time I will refrigerate overnight if possible.

2. This recipe can make both thick soft cookies (my preference!) or thin crispy cookies, it all depends on how thin you roll out the dough. Rolled out at about thicker, they tasted very similar to the cakey cookies you buy in bakeries or get in a cookie bouquet.

3. It doesn't hurt to borrow your mom's rolling pin that has been grown from years of seasoning!

Best Rolled Sugar Cookies
(from allrecipes.com)

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Makes about 30 cookies

Sugar Cookie Frosting
(adapted from allrecipes.com)

INGREDIENTS
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup shortening
2-3 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
food coloring (optional)

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, cream together the confectioners' sugar and shortening until smooth. Gradually mix in the milk and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth and stiff, about 5 minutes. Color with food coloring if desired.

This made more than enough frosting for all the cookies. I ended up freezing the leftovers as a single glob of each color on a cookie sheet and then putting them in a ziploc in the freezer for later. You could probably cut it in half to frost all 30 cookies.