Happy Valentines day to all of you out there! I have to say, here is yet another reason I am so glad we have kids. Sans the munchkins, I cannot stand the whole Valentines day thing. So cheesy. But I can totally get into the spirit (ok not quite totally) because of the kids. By now, you know I like to bake, and I really like making sugar cookies. Sure, it can be a bit messy and time consuming, but it is quite a lot of fun. Plus, the kids have a blast punching out the shapes. They are finally at the age where they are actually a help in the kitchen when they offer to participate. Yay!
I volunteered to bake valentine cookies for both A and R's classrooms. Have you heard about sibling rivalry? Well, we had it in all its glory. Both boys wanted to one-up each other. To add to the complication, R's school was planning to have the kids decorate the cookies at school, which meant I was sending simple, unadorned, unfrosted ones to his school and A's class wanted pre-decorated ones as they would be spending their time decorating valentine cards for each other. Well, let me end this chapter by saying that R was ok with the plan once I told him he would be able to glop on as much frosting as he wants at school. Phew!
I have tried many Sugar cookie recipes in the past, and yes they are 99% the same. Not Rocket science. But, I think this is the mother-of-all recipes, and I have stuck to this trusted one for the last 7 years. It is from Alton Brown, and is virtually foolproof. I usually add a bit of almond extract to mine, but due to severe nut allergies at school, I held off this time.
I had enough for A's school plus some extra, so I packaged some up for the staff at school as they were oh-so-cute. A little afternoon treat!
Sugar Cookies
(Makes enough for 3 dozen, 2 1/2 inch cookies)
From Alton Brown
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted buter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract (optional)
Powdered sugar, for rollling out dough
Method:
1. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Add butter and sugar in large bowl of stand mixer and beat till light in color. Add egg, milk, extracts and beat to combine.
3. Put mixer on lowest speed, and gradually add the flour mixture. Beat just until mixture starts pulling away from the side of the bowl. Divide dough in half, flatten into a disc, wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours (or up till 1 week).
4. Preheat oven to 375F.
5. Sprinkle work surface with powdered sugar ( I use a large silpat mat for rolling out my dough, It makes rolling and clean-up a complete breeze). Remove 1 wrapped dough package from the refrigerator. Sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness (if the dough is too hard to roll out, wait a few minutes till it becomes a bit pliable). Move the dough around frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If the dough gets too warm, place a cold cookie sheet on top for 5 - 10 minutes to chill.
6. Cut the rolled dough into desired shapes. Place cut-outs at least 1-inch apart on parchment lined baking sheet or silicone baking mat. Bake 7 - 9 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking time, until cookies are barely begining to brown around the edges.
7. Let cookies sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes. Then move to a wire rack using spatula. Let cool completely. Serve as is, or proceed with icing. The cookies keep well in an airtight container for up to 1 week (like they ever last that long :-)).
Royal Icing
(Makes approx. 3 cups, enough to frost all the cookies above plus more)
From Joy of Baking
This is the classic, shiny, hard icing you see on bakery sugar cookies. It is absolutely perfect for decorating sugar cookies. If you want a colored icing, I would highly recommend gel pastes. You only need a mere squeeze to get great color. You can make Royal icing from egg whites (there are a million recipes out there for this), but I really like using Meringue powder. Meringue powder is a fine white powder that contains egg whites, sugar, salt, vanillin, and gum. I started using this when the kids were young and we didn't want to chance raw eggs, and have yet to find a reason to deviate. Meringue powder is readily available in most cake decorating and party stores, specialty food stores, and online.
Royal icing will harden when exposed to air, so store in an airtight container. How long will it keep? I'd say up to a week in the refrigerator. Leave it at room temperature for an hour before icing.
I am particularly partial to lemon extract in the icing. I think it works very well with the sweetness of the icing and the cookie. You could use any extract though.
Ingredients:
4 cups confectioner's (powdered) sugar
3 tablespoons meringue powder
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup warm water
1/2 tsp lemon extract ( you can substitute other extracts)
Method:
1. Beat the meringue powder and confectioner's sugar together to combine in the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large bowl if using a hand mixer).
2. Add 1/2 cup water and extract and beat on medium-high speed till mixture turns glossy and stiff peaks form (5 - 7 minutes). If necessary, add more water 1 tbsp at a time, till you get the right consistency. If you want to cover the entire cookie with the icing, you want it a bit thin (when you lift the beater, the icing that falls back shouls stay on the surface for a few seconds before disappearing into the bowl). If you want to pipe the icing on the edges, you want it a bit thick. If you get it too thin, you can easily thicken with more powdered sugar.
3. I simply spread the icing on the 'heart' cookies using the back of a spoon leaving a 1/4 inch border. Sprinkle on some themed decorative sprinkles. Leave uncovered 8 hours or overnight so that the icing sets up to a hard finish.
