Cooking Lesson #884: Julsockerkakor (Classic Vanilla Sugar Cookies)

…from the Perspectives’ Kitchen

How you doin’? Some of the best baking is standard at Christmas time, but why do you have to wait to get a cookie as good as this one until the year-end holidays?
 
This recipe is for Classic Vanilla Sugar Cookies. They are just as delicious as they are beautiful! The secret is Nielsen-Massy Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract https://tinyurl.com/39mz2bjn. Every drop contains over 400 naturally occurring flavors that create a myriad of flavor thrills. If you haven’t baked homemade cookies lately, to time to break the cookie famine with Classic Vanilla Sugar Cookies. 
 
The earliest form of Julsockerkakor was actually a Viking pre-Christian pagan ritual. The  tradition of the It is commonly believed to have originated in Norway, at a time when pagan masses worshiped Thor, the god who traveled in his chariot drawn by two goats. During the Yule holiday, they would disguise their appearance by dressing in a goatskin and go from house to house carrying a goat head these guys really knew how to have a great time).

Christian missionaries modified the tradition and separated its meaning from Paganism. The Yule Goat became one of the oldest Scandinavian and Northern European Yule and Christmas symbols and traditions. In Denmark, the figure of the Yule Goat remains a common Christmas ornament. It is often made out of straw, has a red ribbon around its neck, and is found under the Christmas tree. Scandinavian immigrants brought this tradition to America.
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Chill time:  1hour
Bake time:  8 minutes
Yield:  7 dozen
 
Ingredients 
16 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups granulated sugar, divide--plus extra for topping,
2 large beaten eggs
1/4 cup cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (I prefer Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla)
3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 large slightly beaten egg white
 
Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350⁰ F.
2. Cream the butter and gradually add 1 cup of sugar.
3. Add the eggs and continue to beat until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in the remaining cup of sugar.
5. Add the cream, and then the vanilla extract.
6. Add the flour, baking powder and mix well.
7. Chill the cookie dough for at least 1 hour.
8. Roll out the chilled dough; about 1/4-inch thick on a lightly floured board.
9. Cut the dough sheets with 3-inch cookie cutter.
10. Brush the cookie rounds with the beaten egg white and sprinkle with raw sugar (or decorate with other colored sugar or cookie decorations).
11. Bake about 8 minutes

​ChefSecret: ​These cookies may also be decorated after baking with colored icing.

Quip of the Day: I could give up cookies, but I'm no quitter.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.
 
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