Sugar Cookies!

It's that time of year again. The only thing my family loves more than Christmas is Christmas cookies. For many years now it's been our tradition to gift our friends and family with an assortment of homemade Christmas cookies. Safe to say, we bake A LOT of cookies. We like to say the baking starts the day after Thanksgiving and doesn't stop until New Years.

This year, I complicated my Christmas "to do list" my committing to sell some of my wares at a Holiday Fair. So in addition to my usual cookie list, I was feverishly working away on handmade Christmas tree skirts, clothespin ornaments and my retro-inspired hostess aprons. My apartment looked like Santa's workshop exploded!

My sugar cookies are by far the cookie I bake most often. Between Christmas, Halloween, birthday parties and assorted fundraisers, I can't begin to count how many I've made. There are lots of great recipes out there and over the years, I've experimented a lot. For me, this simple version is the tastiest and most versatile.

A good metal flipper is perfect for moving cookies from board to baking sheet.

I like to mark my cookies before baking to help achieve more uniform frosting after.

I always frost in several steps. Icing, then sugar and decorations. Once dry, I'll move on to the next color, using my markings as a guide.

I love making my handmade clothespin ornaments!

My holiday hostess aprons were a big hit this year. These and non-holiday prints can be ordered via email: doriscassar@me.com

Here's my recipe:

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/4c all purpose flour

pinch of salt

3/4c sugar 

12 tbl butter, room temperature

1 egg, room temperature

orange zest

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt.

2. In the bowl of a standing mixer (or using a hand mixer in another large mixing bowl) beat butter, sugar, egg, vanilla extract (an almond, if using) until fluffy. I've found that to achieve a nice fluffy mix, it's best if your egg and butter are at room temperature.

3. Add the orange zest. I didn't indicate an amount here. It's really up to you how much zest you add to your batter. Experiment and see what's best for you.

4. With the mixer running at a low speed, add the flour, a bit at a time, to the butter mixture just until blended. Don't over mix or your cookies will be tough. You just want the dough to come together.

5. Gather the dough into a ball. Flatten into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes. You can make this dough a day ahead.

6. Once chilled, roll the dough onto a lightly floured board. The thickness of your dough is up to you. If you want a sturdy cookie, aim for about 1/4".

7. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your cookie sheets with parchment paper.

8. Using your favorite cookie cutters, cut into desired shapes. Transfer your cut cookies with a turner or flipper. I find it easier to lift the unbaked dough if your turner is metal. At this point, you can sprinkle sanding sugar or add other decorations to your unbaked cookies. Or you can choose to frost them after cooling. I typically frost mine with a royal icing.

9. Place your cookies in the preheated oven and bake for about 10 minutes, rotating your cookie sheets about halfway through your bake time. Cooking time will vary with the thickness and size of your cookies. So again, experiment to see what works for you.

10. Once baked, use your flipper to move the cookies to a cooling rack. Cool completely. Frost if desired and store in an airtight container. 

Merry Christmas!