Thursday, March 19, 2015

BEST Frosted Sugar Cookie Recipe EVER!

Note: if you are reading this on a mobile device, there may be large gaps after the text. Please keep scrolling down to view the entire post. Sorry for the inconvenience; hopefully I will figure out how to correct this issue soon!

I have tried a lot of different recipes for rolled sugar cookies. A number of years ago, I finally found the perfect one!





Most of the recipes you find on the Internet are actually published by bloggers. (I didn't ever realize this, until I became a blogger!) I wish I could remember where I copied this one from - I would love to give that person credit and personally thank them for such a perfect cookie!

In the past, I have decorated these cookies for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, the first day of school, soccer parties, etc.  Last week, I cut them out in a variety of shapes: 
  • Shamrocks -  for St. Paddy's Day
  • #1 cookies - to use in photos for my 1st Blogiversary post
  • Flowers, pinwheels, dots and squiggles - just because!
  • Hearts and A+'s - for the "End-of-the-Quarter Finals" college care package 
 Photos from my daughter, with permission: Tired but Happy College Students!
(I told my daughter they would be “getting A's!")



These cookies have amazing flavor on their own, but when frosted with my favorite sugar cookie icing, they become irresistible.  I made a few alterations to the original recipes, and my son says they are now similar (“but better”) to the highly-esteemed ones at the local bakery! 

There are a few things that make these cookies really unique and special.
  • Thoughly chilling the dough makes it easier to work with.
  • Scattering the rolling surfaces with powdered sugar instead of flour keeps the dough tender but still prevents it from sticking.
  • Cutting these cookies fairly thick (1/4 - 1/2 inch) and being sure not to over bake them keeps them slightly chewy on the inside. (Don't worry though, if you do accidentally bake a batch till they are crunchy, they will still be pretty yummy!) 
  • The almond-flavoring in the frosting adds a depth of flavor that makes the cookie irresistible.
  • The frosting hardens to a dent-resistant firmness, but remains softly chewy with a slightly crunchy crust.













Ready to bake? 
I've rewritten the cookie and frosting recipes to include my alterations, and I am sharing them with you here.  Forget to lay out the butter? No worries - just follow my tip here!


Susan's Favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe

Printable Recipe: Click here  

Ingredients:
12 oz. (1 and 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
4 oz (½ cup) powdered (confectioner’s) sugar
16 oz. (2 cups) granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Additional powdered sugar to use when rolling out the cookies





Method:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  1. Cream butter and granulated sugar and 1/2 cup powdered sugar together in a mixing bowl until smooth.  
  2. Beat in eggs and vanilla.  
  3. Stir together, then mix in the flour, baking powder and salt.  
  4. Cover, and chill dough for AT LEAST one hour (or overnight.)
  5. Sprinkle a flat smooth surface and a rolling pin liberally with powdered sugar.
  6. Working with small amounts of dough at a time, (and keeping the rest in the fridge until ready to use) roll-out the dough on the powdered-sugar surface, ¼ to ½ inch thick.  
  7. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter.  
  8. Place cookies 1 inch apart on parchment paper on cookie sheets. 
Bake 6 – 8 minutes in preheated oven, just until lightly browned.  Cool completely. Frost as desired.  
Note: Do not roll the shapes too thin, and do not overtake! Edges should just begin to brown.








Susan's Favorite Sugar Cookie Frosting Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups confectioner’s sugar
2-3 tsp milk (adjust as necessary)
2 tsp almond extract

4 tsp light corn syrup
assorted food colorings 


Method:

  1. Mix together powdered sugar,almond extract and just enough milk until smooth but still very thick. 
  2. Beat in corn syrup until well incorporatated and icing is shiny.
  3. Add food coloring (I prefer gel or paste variety) until frosting is desired shade. 
Note: If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.

To frost cookies: Use a piping bag to outline shapes, then thin frosting with corn syrup a bit and flood the area inside. Let dry and harden several hours or overnight before stacking.





Tip: To easily fill a ziplock bag or piping bag with frosting, use the tall glass method I suggested to make Red Velvet Candy-Hearts.


































I learned a new way to provide a clickable link (added below the recipe titles) for a printable version of these recipes. Let me know if you like this feature. 

This post may be linked to one of the great link-up parties I follow and list on my blog. Check them out!

14 comments :

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks Deena. They are always well liked and disappear fast when I make them!

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  2. These cookies are so gorgeous---almost too pretty to eat. But I'm betting they taste divine!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks - actually I think my cookie decorating skills are pretty amateur - but they really are yummy :)

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  3. Sugar cookies are my favorite - and these are so pretty! I have a very old recipe of my grandmother's that I use, but I am going to try yours. Love the new printable recipe!

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    Replies
    1. Glad you like the printable recipe Lana - it involves a few steps, but until I find an easier way, I think it may be a good option.

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  4. So does the icing harden really well? It sounds like it must if you can mail them. My sugar cookie recipe is a treasured one from a good friend however I'll give yours a whirl. Thank you for being so generous in sharing. Our postal rates are so high here that it costs an arm and a leg to mail cookies to my two. But the looks on your daughter's face are cheering me on to bake up a batch to mail off today!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kelly - it takes an afternoon, or overnight, but yes - the icing really does get hard enough to stack the cookies (with wax paper in-between. My daughter said they arrived in really good shape - not dented or broken. I am fortunate to not have to mail care packages all the way across the country - but I calculated that I paid about 50 cents/ cookie in postage! Worth the smiles in the photos though!

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  5. Oh! These are my favorite cookies! I used to buy them at a bakery back home but haven't had the opportunity to find them here. Now I will be able to make them myself!

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    Replies
    1. They do resemble a really good bakery version Rena. Let me know if you make them!

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  6. They do sound good.
    And I am tiptoeing away. I DO NOT need any more treats. None.

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    Replies
    1. I do know what you mean ... One of the reasons I mailed a healthy portion of this batch immediately!

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  7. These look so good! Thanks for linking up with Idea Box!! Hope you will come back next week and share more!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for hosting the Idea Box - and yes, I will be back!

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