Sugar cookies have been a favorite of children and adults for years. The simplicity of taste and ease of making them enables them to be made even by those who are not expert cooks. Sugar cookies are also very versatile. They can be made round or in different shapes. They can be sprinkled with plain or colored sugar. They can be decorated with colored icings and decorated with chocolate chips and candied fruits. No matter how you serve them everyone will want more.
Sugar cookies have been made for quite a long time. The modern recipe was invented by immigrants coming from the Dutch lands to America and eventually called Pennsylvania Dutch. The recipe was very popular and soon it was known all over the world. Pennsylvania adopted the cookie as the state cookie in 2001.
There were sugar cookies before the Dutch were making them. Bakers in the seventh century would test the temperature of their ovens by making small cakes made of sugar that would not matter if they burned or not. If they did not burn the oven was at the right temperature. It was not right to throw this cake away so they sold them as small sugar cakes. In France they were referred to as gimblettes and the Italian's sold cimbellines.
Some sugar cookies are light and airy and raise quite high while cooking. The edges are a little bit crunchy but they are generally soft. Other recipes are a little more dense and the cookie is very crisp. It just depends on your taste and how you like them.
In many recipes you roll the dough flat and use cookie cutters to cut it into different shapes. These type are favorites for many different holidays. They can be made into hearts on St. Valentines Day. They can be cut out in bunny or egg shape for Easter. Pumpkins can be cut out for Halloween. Cut out turkey cookies to celebrate Thanksgiving. The most popular are made a Christmas in various shapes including Christmas trees and Santa.
The recipe that follows is one of the soft cookies and is not made with granulated sugar but with powdered sugar. These cookies are light and soft. They do not work well with cookie cutters since the dough is too soft to hold shape.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl cream one half pound softened butter then add one cup confectioners' sugar gradually. Add one egg, one teaspoon vanilla and mix well. In another bowl combine two cups flour and one half teaspoon baking soda. Mix well and start adding gradually to the mixture containing the egg. Once it has all been incorporated scoop out teaspoonful and shape into a one inch ball. Place two inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Take a fork and press each ball flat. Bake for about six minutes and remove from oven and let sit for five minutes. Remove cookies to a cooling rack. You can sprinkle each cookie with a little bit of granulated sugar before putting them into the oven if you would like. This makes about 5 dozen cookies.
The following recipe is one that you roll and can cut into shapes and decorate. In a large bowl sift one and one half cups flour with 2 teaspoons baking powder and one half teaspoon salt and set the bowl aside. In a mixing bowl cream 1 cup butter then gradually start to add one and one half cup granulated sugar. Beat until fluffy. Break two eggs in a small bowl and beat. Add these to the butter mixture along with one tablespoon milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla flavoring. Gradually add one and one half more cups of flour to the mixture. The dough should be smooth and not stiff so if it seems that there is enough flour and you have not added the whole one and a half cups do not worry. Form the dough into a ball and wrap in wax paper and place in the refrigerator for one hour. Roll out to about one fourth of an inch thick and cut out with cookie cutters. Sprinkle with a little granulated sugar or leave them plain to be frosted with colored icing later. Place on cookie sheets that have been sprayed with a nonstick spray and bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 10 minutes making sure the edges do not get too brown. Let them sit for a few minutes and transfer onto a cooling rack.
Make sugar cookies a treat for your family. They will love finding them in the cookie jar. You can make them for holidays in different holiday shapes or enjoy them any time.
Sugar cookies have been made for quite a long time. The modern recipe was invented by immigrants coming from the Dutch lands to America and eventually called Pennsylvania Dutch. The recipe was very popular and soon it was known all over the world. Pennsylvania adopted the cookie as the state cookie in 2001.
There were sugar cookies before the Dutch were making them. Bakers in the seventh century would test the temperature of their ovens by making small cakes made of sugar that would not matter if they burned or not. If they did not burn the oven was at the right temperature. It was not right to throw this cake away so they sold them as small sugar cakes. In France they were referred to as gimblettes and the Italian's sold cimbellines.
Some sugar cookies are light and airy and raise quite high while cooking. The edges are a little bit crunchy but they are generally soft. Other recipes are a little more dense and the cookie is very crisp. It just depends on your taste and how you like them.
In many recipes you roll the dough flat and use cookie cutters to cut it into different shapes. These type are favorites for many different holidays. They can be made into hearts on St. Valentines Day. They can be cut out in bunny or egg shape for Easter. Pumpkins can be cut out for Halloween. Cut out turkey cookies to celebrate Thanksgiving. The most popular are made a Christmas in various shapes including Christmas trees and Santa.
The recipe that follows is one of the soft cookies and is not made with granulated sugar but with powdered sugar. These cookies are light and soft. They do not work well with cookie cutters since the dough is too soft to hold shape.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl cream one half pound softened butter then add one cup confectioners' sugar gradually. Add one egg, one teaspoon vanilla and mix well. In another bowl combine two cups flour and one half teaspoon baking soda. Mix well and start adding gradually to the mixture containing the egg. Once it has all been incorporated scoop out teaspoonful and shape into a one inch ball. Place two inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Take a fork and press each ball flat. Bake for about six minutes and remove from oven and let sit for five minutes. Remove cookies to a cooling rack. You can sprinkle each cookie with a little bit of granulated sugar before putting them into the oven if you would like. This makes about 5 dozen cookies.
The following recipe is one that you roll and can cut into shapes and decorate. In a large bowl sift one and one half cups flour with 2 teaspoons baking powder and one half teaspoon salt and set the bowl aside. In a mixing bowl cream 1 cup butter then gradually start to add one and one half cup granulated sugar. Beat until fluffy. Break two eggs in a small bowl and beat. Add these to the butter mixture along with one tablespoon milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla flavoring. Gradually add one and one half more cups of flour to the mixture. The dough should be smooth and not stiff so if it seems that there is enough flour and you have not added the whole one and a half cups do not worry. Form the dough into a ball and wrap in wax paper and place in the refrigerator for one hour. Roll out to about one fourth of an inch thick and cut out with cookie cutters. Sprinkle with a little granulated sugar or leave them plain to be frosted with colored icing later. Place on cookie sheets that have been sprayed with a nonstick spray and bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 10 minutes making sure the edges do not get too brown. Let them sit for a few minutes and transfer onto a cooling rack.
Make sugar cookies a treat for your family. They will love finding them in the cookie jar. You can make them for holidays in different holiday shapes or enjoy them any time.
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