ISO: ISO fav sugar cookie dough recipe, making heart cookies for Valentines Saturday >>>

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heather_in_sf

Well-known member
and I always have problems with dough that is difficult to roll out (or maybe it's just me!) anyway the Joy of Cooking recipe isn't making the grade, and I would love your help!

thanks - Heather

 
REC: Sugar Cookies (buttery, flaky, delicious!)

These are my favorite from the point of view of taste and texture. They are not hard to work with if you use the waxed paper trick and keep the dough well chilled.

Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder

Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, mix until just combined. Add flour and baking powder in intervals. Dough will seem as if doesn't have enough moisture but continue to mix with mixer until combined (it will come together when chilled). Divide the dough into four equal parts, shape into four disks, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate about an hour or until firm. Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease baking sheets or line with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat. Roll out dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper, about 1/4 inch thick for crispier cookies and 1/3 inch thick for softer cookies. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters and place on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 7-8 minutes or until edges just start to turn a golden color. For softer cookies, do not allow the cookies to take on color. Remove from oven, let cool for one minute and then transfer to wire rack. Allow cookie sheet to cool thoroughly before placing uncooked dough on it. Decorate cookies with Royal Icing or Buttercream Frosting and sprinkles.

Can be stored in freezer undecorated for 2 months. Dough also freezes well.

Note: Yield varies greatly depending on how thin you roll out the dough and how large your cookie cutters are, but an overall guideline is 24 cookies.

 
REC: No-chill Cutout Sugar Cookies

My second favorite; no need to chill the dough and it's easy to work with. I still recommend you roll out the dough between sheets of waxed paper.

Makes about 24

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add baking powder and flour one cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Dough will be stiff. Do not chill dough. Divide dough in half. On a lightly floured board, roll each half about 1/8 inch thick. Dip cutters into flour before each use. Bake cookies on ungreased cookie sheet on middle rack of oven for 8-12 minutes, or until cookies are lightly browned.

 
There is a way to make it work better...

Divide the dough into 2 to 4 portions (depending on how large your recipe is). Roll out each portion between two pieces of waxed paper. You can do this with all your dough so that you have 2 to 4 flat sheets of dough. Stack them on top of each other and put them in the fridge to chill for about 20-30 minutes. Then remove one from the fridge, place it on your counter or cutting board, and peel off the top piece of waxed paper (you can discard it). Replace that piece with a new piece of waxed paper and then flip the whole thing over so that the new piece of waxed paper is on the bottom. Then peel off the piece that is now on top and cut out your shapes. This eliminates any possibility of the dough sticking to the paper and makes it really easy to cut out the shapes.

 
Aha! now I see why I was always having problems, prewax paper. Mimi, another question for you....

not related to this recipe but to the Swap (if you don't mind).

When I click on 'Print Message' it gives me a window but no way to print it - ie the menu at the top is missing. I'm sure there's a way to do it, I just don't know what I'm missing...

thanks so much! for everything! especially putting this wonderful place together, I was with Gail's since 1995 although I don't post that much..

 
Two things you can do...

in the Print screen, scroll down to the bottom of the message and there's a button for "Print this Page". Or, you can right-click on the message and select "Print" from the pop-up menu.

 
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