Sugar Cookies To Roll Or Not Food

THE BEST NO-ROLL SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine butter and sugars in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; continue beating until well mixed. Mix in cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Gradually mix in flour
• Shape dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place 2 inches apart onto cookie sheets. Flatten to about 1 1/2 inches with bottom of glass (if the glass sticks, dip it in sugar first).
• Bake for 7-9 minutes or until edges of cookies are lightly browned. Do not over-bake. Let cookies stand for 2-3 minutes on cookie sheet before removing to a cooling rack. Cool completely.
• To make frosting, combine butter and cream cheese until smooth. Stir in vanilla extract and salt. Add powdered sugar in 1-2 cup increments until combined, then add milk one tablespoon at a time until frosting is desired spreading consistency. You may not use all the milk.

THE BEST ROLLED SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

ROLL AND CUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Combine butter and sugar. Do not take this mixture to a "light cream." Think "incorporate" ? not "cream." Just make sure the mixture is smooth ? no butter lumps.
• In a small bowl mix egg, milk/cream, and extracts. Add this mixture all at once to the butter and sugar. Mix just until the egg is broken. The mixture will "curdle" but that's not a problem.
• In another small bowl, mix the flour and baking powder. Add these dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients in the mixing bowl. Process to form dough.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. It's just that simple! The beauty of this dough is that it does not need to chill before using it. Simply flour a work surface. Knead the dough a few times to smooth it out and with a rolling pin, roll dough. Cut into desired shapes. The dough scraps can be used several times. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

SUGAR COOKIES TO ROLL OR NOT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray cookie sheets w/ nonstick spray.
• In a mixing bowl, beat together granulated sugar and butter. *If planning to roll and cut out, use 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar instead.
• Beat in the extracts and egg.
• Sift together flour and baking soda; gradually beat into the creamed mixture.
• Drop by rounded spoonfuls on to the cookie sheets.
• Place some extra sugar on a plate. Dip a flat-bottomed glass in the sugar and lightly flatten the dough.
• Bake at 350 for 8-9 minutes or until edges just slightly turn golden.
• *If doing roll out method, chill dough for at least 3 hours. Roll on to lightly floured surface to about 1/4" thick. Cut out with cookie cutters and bake 9-11 minute.

SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill. Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or ice as desired. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

ROLL OUT CLASSIC BUTTER - SUGAR COOKIES (CHRISTMAS OR HOLIDAYS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Line some cookie sheets with either silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with a mixer paddle attachment for two minutes. Stop and scrape the bowl.
• Cream the mixture for an additional minute.
• Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Beat until well combined.
• Sift together baking powder and flour. Add the flour mixture 1 cup at a time to the creamed butter and sugar mixture. Mix thoroughly after each addition. Blend in the last cup of flour by hand. The dough will be stiff.
• Divide the dough into two balls. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
• Roll out one ball of dough between two sheets of parchment paper to about 1/4 inch thick. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper and run a floured metal spatula under the dough to loosen it a bit.
• Cut cookies with cookie cutters of your choice. Dip them in flour before each use.
• Carefully place the cut out cookies onto prepared cookie sheets.
• If you own a Dobord adjust to 1/4 inch. Line Dobord bottom plate with parchment paper. Cut another sheet of parchment paper and roll out dough between that and the lined bottom. Cut out cookies with cookie cutters dipped in flour before each use.
• Bake cookies for 8 to 10 minutes or until they just start to brown. Let the cookies rest on the cookie sheet for 5 to 10 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack. Cool completely before glazing. Repeat process with second ball of dough.
• For Glaze (if using): In a mixing bowl thoroughly mix the sugar and the milk. The mixture should be very soft and have a heavy cream texture before you add the corn syrup. Add the corn syrup and mix just until combined. Mix in the extract and food coloring if you are planning on using only one color. If using many colors, divide up the glaze in to as many bowls as you need. Color each one using gel or paste food coloring (mix in a small bit at a time using a toothpick until you get the color you want). Use a small pastry brush to glaze the cookies. Paint the entire tops of the cookies with a thin layer of glaze and place back on the cooling racks to dry. Depending on temperature and humidity it will take between 6 and 12 hours for the glaze to dry completely.

THE BEST ROLLED SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.
• For the icing, combine the last 5 ingredients in a blender until creamy. Slowly add the milk so that you may choose your consistency.

SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl.
• Using stand mixer or hand mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy.
• Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down bowl each time, then vanilla and/or almond extract.
• Add flour mixture gradually and mix at low speed until comes together.
• Turn out onto flat surface.
• Knead a couple of times just until smooth.
• Pat into a flat disk, wrap in plastic and chill until firm enough to roll, about one hour.
• Roll and cut as desired.
• Bake at 350 about 8-10 minutes on parchment-lined sheets.

SUGAR COOKIES - NO BREAK, FAIL-SAFE AND FOOLPROOF

Steps:

• In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar.
• Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
• In a second bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
• Sift flour mixture into butter mixture 1 cup at a time and blend well.
• Roll dough into ball and chill 3-4 hours or overnight.
• When ready to prepare cookies, preheat oven to 350°.
• Roll out dough and cut into shapes.
• Brush with milk and sprinkle with colored sugar or candies if desired (or frost cookie once baked and cooled).
• Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes.
• Remove cookies to a rack to cool completely.