Sugar cookies

I meant to post this earlier, honest, but I kind of got caught in a whirlwind of Christmas frenzy which spared no one here at home ... least of all our kitchen.

A while back I said I would try a new sugar cookie recipe, hopefully before Christmas. If this isn't cutting it close, I don't know what is! Actually, I baked these last week. More accurately, I baked these last week and then again this week. That's how happy we are with them.

I've been wanting to make pastel-coloured Christmas cookies since I saw them on Martha Stewart's special issue on Holiday Cookies nine years ago, and finally did them this year. So really, it's quite a feat that I'm here a mere week after making them, and two days before Christmas, even!

Last year, my younger sister and I had a cookie decorating fest during which we had planned to try the Martha Stewart look, but I messed up the tinting and we ended up with baby-room pastel instead of the elegant-holiday chic we were aiming for. So we went for bold Christmas reds and greens, with the help of some toothpicks:

I learned from last year's heavy-handed tinting and got the colours right this time. More importantly, I actually found a recipe for a sugar cookie worth eating ... from the Joy of Cooking, which I've had on my bookshelf for at least a decade. Yup, I've had it with me all this time, and only thought to try it after I had already endured at least half a dozen disappointments.

Better late than never? Yeah. Let's go with that.

Sugar Cookies

Adapted from The 1997 Joy of Cooking

These sugar cookies expand a teeny-tiny bit due to the baking powder. Cookies without baking powder will not spread, but they also bake up crisper. Since I like a softer sugar cookie and the leavener seems to pull that off, I'm okay with the slight spreading that occurs. I do make sure to chill the dough thoroughly after cutting and before baking, which helps the cookies hold their shape.

The original recipe uses only vanilla. However, my friend Kerri once mentioned that she puts almond extract her sugar cookies, and her sugar cookies are awesome - so I've replaced some of the vanilla with almond extract.

Whisk together to break up any lumps:

  16.25 ounces (3¼ cups) all purpose flour

  1½ tsp baking powder

  ½ tsp salt

Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes):

  10 ounces (20 Tbsp; 2½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened

  7 ounces (1 cup) sugar

Add and beat until well combined:

  1 egg

  1 Tbsp heavy cream (the original recipe uses milk)

  1½ tsp vanilla extract

  1 tsp almond extract

On stir speed, gently stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture, just until combined.

Divide the dough in half and roll out to ¼" thick. It helps to roll out the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Refrigerate the rolled out dough for about half an hour to let it firm up. (I leave the dough between the parchment papers, place it on a cookie sheet, and refrigerate it that way).

When the dough is chilled, remove it from the fridge, peel of the parchment, and cut out the desired shapes. Transfer the cutouts to another sheet and return to the refrigerator for at least another half hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack set on the middle position. Bake 1 sheet at a time until the cookies are very, very lightly coloured and slightly puffed - don't worry, they will mostly-flatten upon cooling. Depending on the size of your cookies, this could take anywhere from 9 to 15 minutes.

Leave the cookies on the sheet for about 10 minutes. When they have firmed up, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. They must be completely cool before frosting is applied. (To tell you the truth, while these are great with royal icing, I like them best plain or with some jam or dulce de leche smeared on top.)