To Roll Or Not To Roll Sugar Cookies Food

RICH ROLL COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in egg and extract. Combine and add flour and salt.
• Wrap dough well and chill or freeze until you are able to handle it easily. Can also make day ahead and place in fridge wrapped in plastic wrap.
• To bake: Preheat oven to 350. Roll out and cut with cookie cutters. Place on either a greased cookie sheet or one lined with a silpat liner or parchment paper. Bake 8-10 minutes for thin cookies or 15 minutes+ for thick cookies or cookies on a stick. When they are lightly browned, they are ready. Cool on pan for 1-2 minutes, transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before decorating. Use your favorite icing recipe.

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.

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.

MY FAVORITE ROLL OUT SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream sugar and margarine; add egg and flavorings and mix well.
• Stir dry ingredients; mix into sugar and margarine mixture. Refrigerate 2 to 3 hours.
• Heat oven to 375°F.
• Roll out 3/16-inch thick.
• Bake 7-8 minutes until delicately brown.
• Let cool.
• Icing for Roll Out Sugar Cookies: 2 cups powdered sugar, milk and 1/2 tsp vanilla
• Icing for Roll Out Sugar Cookies: In a mixing bowl, sift powdered sugar.
• Gradually add milk, stirring continuously until mixture is the consistency of a thin glaze. Add vanilla.
• Blend well.
• Food coloring may be added, if desired.

MY FAVORITE ROLLED SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream together sugar, butter, milk, vanilla and egg.
• Lightly spoon flour into a measuring cup, level off. Add the flour, baking powder and salt to creamed mix, mix well.
• Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour for easier handling.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• On lightly floured surface, roll out 1/3 of the dough at a time to approximately 1/8 inch thickness (I don't whip out a measuring tape at this point--just an estimation--eyeball to the thickness that you prefer.).
• Cut with desired cookie cutters.
• Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Decorate as desired.
• Bake at 400 degrees 5-9 minutes until edges are very light golden. (In my oven, this takes about 6 minutes.) Be careful not to overbake (if you like soft cookies, as I do.).
• Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.