Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies In A Jar Food

OLD FASHIONED SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
• Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a second large bowl and mix well. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture 1 cup at a time. Chill the dough for 3 to 4 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment. Roll out the dough and cut it into shapes with cookie cutters or a knife. Place the shapes on the prepared cookie sheet. If decorating with colored sugar, brush the cookies with milk and sprinkle with colored sugar (if using royal icing, leave unfinished). Bake until the cookies are just beginning to brown around the edges, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the cookies.
• Remove the cookies to a rack to cool completely. If using royal icing, decorate the cookies as desired.
• Combine the confectioners' sugar, meringue powder and 3/4 cup water in a large bowl. Mix slowly with an electric mixer until stiff enough to form peaks; the icing should be pure white and thick, but not fluffy and bubbly. If the frosting is over-beaten, it will get aerated which makes it harder to work with. If this happens, let the frosting sit to settle, and then use a rubber spatula to vigorously beat and smooth out the frosting.
• Add up to 1 tablespoon food coloring and mix with a rubber spatula until the color is uniform. Gels are best with royal icing. You don't want to thin them with liquid colors. Be careful of adding too much color, which reduces the sheen of the frosting and can break down the consistency of the frosting over a couple of days. Store the icing at room temperature, covered, with plastic wrap on the surface.
• Yield: 3 1/2 cups icing

OATMEAL RAISIN SPICE COOKIE MIX IN A JAR

Steps:

• Mix flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt together.
• Layer ingredients in order given in a 1 quart "wide mouth" canning jar. Press each layer firmly in place before adding next ingredient.
• On a card add the following directions:
• 1. Empty jar of cookie mix into a large mixing bowl. Use your hands to thoroughly blend mix.
• 2. Add: 1 1/2 sticks butter or margarine, not diet, very soft; 1 egg, slightly beaten; 1 teaspoon vanilla (opt).
• 3. Mix until completely blended. You will have to finish mixing with your hands.
• 4. Shape into balls the size of walnuts. Place 2" apart on sprayed baking sheets.
• 5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 11-13 minutes until edges are lightly browned. Cool 5 minutes on baking sheet. Remove cookies to rack to finish cooling.

OLD-FASHIONED OATMEAL COOKIES

Steps:

• heat oven to 375*F.
• in large mixer bowl combine all ingredients except flour and rasins.
• beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed.
• add flour; continue beating until well mixed.
• by hand stir in raisins.
• drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2"in apart onto greased cookie sheets.
• bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

OLD-FASHIONED SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Do not preheat oven yet - dough must chill before baking.
• Melt butter.
• Add sugars and mix.
• Let cool to room temperature.
• Mix in the eggs, one at a time.
• Add vanilla, lemon zest, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.
• Mix well.
• Add flour in increments, mixing after each addition.
• Chill dough for at least one hour (overnight is fine).
• When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325 degrees, rack in middle of oven.
• Use hands to roll dough in walnut-sized balls.
• Roll dough balls in a bowl of white sugar.
• Place on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet.
• Flatten dough balls with a greased spatula.
• Bake at 325 degrees for 10-15 minutes (They should have a tine of gold on the top).
• Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then remove to a rack to finish cooling.
• Cookies can be decorated with frosting piped from a pastry bag for special occasions - or left just as they are.