Sugar Cookies

Sugar Cookies:

3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Royal Icing Using Egg Whites:

2 large egg whites

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

3 cups confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

For Sugar Cookies: In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 to 4 minutes). Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until you have smooth dough.

Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about one hour or until firm enough to roll.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Remove one half of the chilled dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch (1 cm). (Keep turning the dough as you roll, making sure the dough does not stick to the counter.) Cut out desired shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter and transfer cookies to the prepared baking sheet. Place the baking sheets with the unbaked cookies in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes to chill the dough which prevents the cookies from spreading and losing their shape while baking.

Note: If you are not going to frost the baked cookies, you may want to sprinkle the unbaked cookies with crystal or sparkling sugar.

Bake cookies for about 8-10 minutes (depending on size) or until the edges are just starting to brown. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Frost with royal icing, if desired. Be sure to let the royal icing dry completely before storing. (This may take several hours.)

Frosted cookies will keep several days in an airtight container. Store between layers of parchment paper or wax paper.

Makes about 36 - 4 inch cookies.

For Royal Icing with Egg Whites: In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the egg whites with the lemon juice. Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined and smooth. The icing needs to be used immediately or transferred to an airtight container as royal icing hardens when exposed to air. Cover with plastic wrap when not in use.

Mint Chocolate Cookies

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 6 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Whisk flour, cocoa powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in peppermint extract and vanilla extract. Beat in sugar in 3 additions. Add egg and beat until blended. Add dry ingredients and beat just until blended (dough will be sticky).

Divide dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Using plastic wrap as aid, form dough on each into 2-inch-diameter log. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate dough until well chilled, at least 2 hours. (Dough can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

Position 1 rack in center and 1 rack in top third of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap cookie dough logs; roll briefly on work surface to form smooth round logs. Cut logs crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Place rounds on prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake cookies until tops and edges are dry to touch, about 15 minutes. Transfer baking sheets with cookies to racks; cool completely. Stir chocolate in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Cool melted chocolate until slightly thickened but still pourable, about 10 minutes. Dip fork into melted chocolate, then wave fork back and forth over cookies, drizzling melted chocolate thickly over cookies in zigzag pattern. Refrigerate cookies on baking sheets until chocolate is set, about 10 minutes. (Cookies can be made 1 week ahead. Refrigerate in airtight container between sheets of parchment paper or waxed paper.)

Yields 3.5 dozen

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional) I opted without them

Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.

Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts. I opted out of nuts so the pumpkin would really dominate.

Drop by tablespoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.

Yields 3 dozen

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Monster Cookies

I baked these to celebrate two amazing events - a best friend's birthday and a best friend's pregnancy! I love how they turned out! Peanut butter, oats AND chocolate?! oh yeah!

About 3 dozen cookies

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, slightly softened
• 1 1/2 cups creamy natural peanut butter, well-mixed
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 4 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
  
• a medium sized bag of plain m & m's

About 1 cup chocolate candies or other mix-ins. Preheat oven to 350F and line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Cream butter, peanut butter, and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Beat in baking soda, then oatmeal and mix-ins. Drop onto cookie sheets with an ice cream scoop and flatten slightly. Bake at 350F for 8 minutes. Do not over bake / don't let brown too much! Remove from oven when slightly golden. Let cool on the sheets for a few minutes until they have firmed up enough to remove to wire racks. If they bake for too long, they lose their chewiness and are dry.
thanks to thekitchn.com for a delicious idea

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies with Peanut Butter Centers!

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups firmly packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with nonstick baking mats

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda, and set aside. In the bowl of use mixer to beat butter, vegetable shortening, granulated sugar, and 1 cup brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until fully combined between additions. Add vanilla; beat to combine. Gradually add dry ingredients; mix on low speed until fully combined. Add chocolate chips; mix on low just until combined.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap; chill until firm, about 1 hour.

In a small bowl using a rubber spatula, stir together peanut butter and remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar. Drop 1 tablespoon of dough at a time onto baking sheets, spacing cookies about 2 inches apart. Make a thumbprint in the center of each cookie. Fill thumbprint with 1 teaspoon peanut butter mixture. Top with a second tablespoon of flattened dough. Carefully mold dough to cover the surprise. Bake until firm, about 12 minutes, rotating halfway through. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Remove cookies from baking sheets, and let cool completely on wire racks. Yields 4 dozen cookies

Compliments of Martha Stewart

Lacy Cookies

1/2 pound (2 sticks) plus 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1 1/4 cups bread flour
1 1/4 cups chopped nuts, such as almonds, blanched hazelnuts, or pecans (about 5 1/3 ounces)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy. With the mixer running, add the corn syrup. Reduce speed to low; add bread flour, and mix to combine. Add the nuts, and mix to combine.
Place a 12-by-16-inch piece of parchment on a clean work surface. Spoon the dough across the middle of the parchment. Fold parchment over dough, and, using a ruler, press dough into a neat log, and roll until even. Chill log in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Line two baking sheets with parchment. Remove the parchment from the log, and slice into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Place rounds on baking sheets, spaced 3 inches apart. Bake until golden brown and lacy, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating halfway through. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. Bake or freeze remaining dough. Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Makes 4 dozen.

Chocolate Brownie Cookies

Do not bake the cookies to a crisp; they are meant to be soft and chewy. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for two to three days.

Note: Don't worry if the batter seems thin. It should look more like a brownie batter than a cookie dough.

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat chopped chocolate and butter in a microwave safe bowl in 20-second increments, stirring between each, until almost melted; do not overheat. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla on high speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; beat in melted chocolate.Mix in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in chocolate chunks.
Drop heaping tablespoons of dough 2 to 3 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are shiny and crackly yet soft in centers, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on sheets 10 minutes; with a thin metal spatula, transfer to racks to cool completely.

Pecan Sandies

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter with the 1/3 cup of sugar and the salt at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla, then beat in the flour at low speed, scraping the side and bottom of the bowl, until the dough just comes together. Add the pecans and beat just until they are incorporated and lightly broken up. Divide the dough in half and form it into two 2-inch-thick logs. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with 1 log at a time and keeping the other one chilled, cut the dough into scant 1/4-inch-thick slices, arrange them on the baking sheets and sprinkle them with sugar. Repeat with the second log of dough.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cookies are lightly golden around the edges and on the bottom, shifting the baking sheets halfway through. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

Nutella Cookies!

I had some really fun Halloween sprinkles I wanted to use so I baked these cookies and brought to the office for Halloween. I baked longer than originally instructed and the cookies were crispy and a huge crowd pleaser. Next time I’ll bake a bit less for a chewier texture.

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Nutella
1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup orange sprinkles, or orange sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.

In another medium bowl, place the chocolate hazelnut spread, butter, and both sugars. Using a hand mixer, cream the ingredients together, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and blend until incorporated. Stir in the dry ingredients, just until incorporated. Shape the cookie dough into walnut-sized balls. Rolls the balls in the orange sprinkles or orange sugar, pressing to adhere. Place on cookie sheet about 4 inches apart.

Bake for 11 minutes for chewy cookies. They will be very airy and will need to cool on the sheet before removing. For crispier cookies, bake another 3 minutes and cool on rack. Yield 40-50 cookies!

Snickerdoodle Cookies

1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons white sugar
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In medium bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups white sugar, butter, vanilla and eggs. Mix well.

In a separate, large bowl, sift flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Slowly add dry mixture to large bowl.

Combine 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon on a large plate. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll dough in sugar/cinnamon mixture and place 2 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets. Press the dough down slightly. Bake 8-10 minutes or until set. Immediately remove from cookie sheets.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar, for rolling dough
36 mini peanut butter cups, chilled and unwrapped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using an electric mixer, cream peanut butter and butter in a mixing bowl until smooth. Add brown sugar; beat until combined, scraping down bowl as needed. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until incorporated.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually beat in flour mixture in two batches.
Scoop off dough by the tablespoon; roll into balls. Place granulated sugar on a plate; roll balls in sugar, coating completely. Place 2 inches apart on a nonstick insulated baking sheet.
Bake until cookies begin to puff up slightly, about 7 minutes. Remove from oven. Press one peanut butter cup in center of each cookie. Return to oven; continue baking until cookies are golden brown and chocolate has begun to melt, about 6 minutes more. Let cool at least 10 minutes on baking sheet before transferring cookies to rack to cool completely. Makes 36.

Macaroon Cookies

1/3 c butter, softened
1 package cream cheese (8 oz) softened
3/4 c sugar
1 egg yolk
2 tsp orange juice
1 tsp almond extract
1 1/4 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 3/4 c shredded coconut (10 0z package) I prefer Mounds
melted semi-sweet or milk chocolate (optional, see last note)

Beat butter, cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl until well blended; add egg yolk, orange juice and almond extract. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt, gradually add the butter mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in 3 c coconut. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or until firm enough to handle.

Heat over to 350. Shape dough into 1 inch balls; rolling remaining 3/4 c coconut. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 10-12 mins or until lightly browned. Cool 1 minute. Remove from cookie sheet and place on cooling rack. Yields about 3.5 dozen. Another option: roll in chocolate rather than remaining coconut.