Sugar Cookies; A Favorite Cookie Jar Treat In Many Shapes

Sugar cookies have been in family cookie jars for years and years. They are simple in taste and they are easy to make as well. You can make sugar cookies in several different ways. Sugar cookies can be rolled into balls and flattened on the cookie sheet. They can have sprinkles of colored sugar. They can be spread with colored frosting and decorated with other things like chocolate chips. It does not matter how you present them to your family and friends as they will love them any way you make them.

The sugar cookie has been around for quite some time. It is most often related to the Pennsylvania Dutch who immigrated to America and started to make their favorite cookie flavored with sugar. It caught on and soon the recipe was being shared all through the United States. It was so popular that in 2001 in became the state cookie for Pennsylvania.

Some say that the sugar cookie started way before that. They surmise that around the 7th century someone decided to make small cakes that were made in order to test the temperature of the oven. They did not want these cakes to go to waste so they sold them as small cakes which were made from sugar. In France small sugar cakes were called gimblettes and in Italy they were called cimbellines.

The texture of some cookies is airy and light and they raise very high while in the oven. They have a bit of crunch on the edges but are very soft and light. Still other cookies are dense and crisp. Recipes are different and you can find the one you remember as a child.

The crisp variety can be rolled flat and cookie cutters can be used to make a variety of shapes. These are the kind you see during holidays. There are heart cookies made during Valentine’s Day. Bunny and egg shaped cookies are made for Easter. You will normally see pumpkin cookies around Halloween and cookies that look like turkeys for Thanksgiving. At Christmas there is the most variety from Santa’s face to Christmas trees and stockings.

The recipe that follows is one of the soft cookies and is not made with granulated sugar but with powdered sugar. These cookies are light and soft. They do not work well with cookie cutters since the dough is too soft to hold shape.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl cream one half pound softened butter then add one cup confectioners’ sugar gradually. Add one egg, one teaspoon vanilla and mix well. In another bowl combine two cups flour and one half teaspoon baking soda. Mix well and start adding gradually to the mixture containing the egg. Once it has all been incorporated scoop out teaspoonful and shape into a one inch ball. Place two inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Take a fork and press each ball flat. Bake for about six minutes and remove from oven and let sit for five minutes. Remove cookies to a cooling rack. You can sprinkle each cookie with a little bit of granulated sugar before putting them into the oven if you would like. This makes about 5 dozen cookies.

The next recipe is a sugar cookie that is rolled flat and cut with cookie cutters. Using a large bowl take 1 and one half cups flour and sift it with two teaspoons of baking powder and 1 half teaspoon salt and place aside for later. In a bowl for the electric mixer place one cup butter and gradually add 1 and one half cups of granulated sugar. Beat until the mixture gets light and fluffy. In a small bowl beat 2 eggs. Add to the mixer with 1 tablespoon of milk and one teaspoon of vanilla. Slowly add 1 and a half additional flour until incorporated. The dough should not be stiff, but smooth so if it starts to stiffen stop adding the flour. Roll the entire bowl of dough into a ball and place it in wax paper to be placed in the refrigerator for a whole hour. Take out of the refrigerator and roll to about one fourth of an inch thick and use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Sprinkle them with sugar or leave them alone to be decorated with colored icing after cooking. Put the shapes on non stick sprayed cookie sheets and bake in a 400 degree F oven for about 10 minutes or until the edges become lightly brown. Leave them on the cookie sheets for about 2 minutes then remove to a cooling rack.

Sugar cookies are good any time of the year, not just during the holiday. Whip up a batch for your family and watch as they gobble them up as fast as you can make them.

You can make Sugar Cookies that will look beautiful and taste fabulous! Visit our site and find Sugar Cookie Recipes from all over the world!