Cooking Lesson #1129: Rolled Sugar Cookies

…from the Perspectives’ Holiday Kitchen

How you doin’? I’m a cookie guy! I love cookies. I have 4 cookie jars on my kitchen counter filled to the brim. And for those who are curious I do not weigh 400 pounds. I do get disturbed then I see we are running out and never want to be caught in a cookie famine.
 
This time of year, I need to move away from my chocolate chip, chocolate crinkle, peanut butter and granola cookies and make way for holiday varieties. My Rolled Sugar Cookie recipe is the standard in my household. This is the best sugar cookie recipe and the only one I use when I want colorful, decorated cookies.
 
Whenever you gift these cookies for someone, be sure to bring along several copies of the recipe—you will be asked for it—people will demand it!  These cookies can be as simple or artistic as your talent allows.
 
I make my colorful icings with confectioners' sugar and milk (see ChefSecret below). I make it fairly thin, so I can "paint" the icing on the cookies with a pastry or small paint brush. I make the frosting thin enough to spread easily but not so thin that it just makes your cookies wet and runs off.
 
Prep time:  20 minutes
Bake time:  6-8 mins
Cooling and decorating time:  1 hour
Yield:  60 cookies
 
Ingredients 
2 cups granulated sugar
3 sticks softened butter
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
 
Directions

1. Read the recipe all the way through before starting. Measure all ingredients and have at your side.
2. Beat the sugar and softened butter together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth.
3. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
4. Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt.
5. Cover and chill the dough for at least 1 hour (or overnight).
6. Preheat an oven to 400° F.
7. Lightly dust a work surface with flour.
8. Roll out the dough to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness.
9. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter.
10. Place the cut cookies 1-inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.
11. Bake in the preheated oven until cookies are lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes.
12.  Carefully transfer cookies to a wire rack and cool completely before decorating.

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ChefSecret:  For the decorating icing, start with a ratio of 1:1 milk to powdered sugar. Adjust from there... if you need to be a little thinner, add more milk 1 tablespoon at a time. If you need it to be thicker, add more sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Make a batch, separate into bowls and add color as desired. 

I like to add a little extra flavoring to the frosting—vanilla and almond extracts are just two of the best options.
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Quip of the Day:  Did you hear about the baker who tried to start an online bakery but accidentally deleted all her cookies?
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food.
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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.

#Baking #Dessert #HolidayDesserts #ChristmasCookies #RolledSugarCookies #DecoratedChristmasCookies #MerryChristmas #HolidayRecipes #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 
 
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