Sugar Cookies
Our sugar cookie is quite simple and has been passed down through the generations in our family and has to be the most versatile of cookies as it can be molded, pressed, rolled, decorated, iced and so on; the possibilities are endless. The base ingredients are constant; they can be multiplied or divided and if you want to press them, use slightly less flour, if you’re planning on rolling them add more flour. But, please make sure you use the finest and freshest ingredients possible for the richest and most flavourful cookies. We use vanilla sugar (my grandma insisted on only using this product); it comes in small packages found at most higher end grocery stores or ethnic bakeries. It does cost a bit more but worth every single penny.
INGREDIENTS
3 ½ cups of sifted flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter
1 ½ cups sugar
2 packages vanilla sugar or 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375F. Shift all dry ingredients together and set aside. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time beating well each time. Add dry ingredients slowly to creamed mixture until blended. At this point you divide dough in quarters and can roll the dough in tubes, wrap in parchment paper and chill to keep dough firm. It will roll easier when chilled. Roll out to a thickness of about ¼ inch thick. Use your favourite cookie cutter to cut out shapes. (You can give it a light milk wash and sprinkle with your favourite toppings. Place on greased or parchment paper lined cookie sheet, space 2 inches apart and bake for 10 to 12 mins until golden brown. Transfer to cooling rack and decorate. We used our cookie icing recipe which is directly below and painted on the icing with artist brushes.
COOKIE ICING
INGREDIENTS
1 cup of icing sugar
1 tbsp light corn syrup
2 tbsp water
food colouring
DIRECTIONS
Sift icing sugar to insure it is lump free and combine all ingredients until silky and smooth. We made three bowls of this rich satiny icing and coloured it green and red by adding a drop at a time until the right colour was achieved. Using artist brushes we painted the cookies with the respective colours allowing the layers of icing to dry between applications.