12 Days of Cookies

December 06

Frosted Sugar Cookies

These cookies are soft and scented with lots of vanilla. The frosting is buttery and delicious! All my family and friends that tried these really liked them. I would suggest rolling the dough thick if you like soft, pillowy cookies like me.

Soft Rolled Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup milk

In large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and mix well.

Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add alternately to butter mixture with milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Cover dough and chill in refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight. (If chilled overnight, let dough sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling out.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. On lightly floured surface, roll out dough using floured rolling pin to about 1/4" thickness. Cut with cookie cutters. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets at 350 degrees F for 7-10 minutes until very light golden brown around edges. Let cool on cookie sheets for about a minute, then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Buttercream Frosting

This makes a ton of frosting, so you may want to half it. Also, I know shortening doesn't sound too appetizing, but it really helps with the spreading consistency.

1 cup butter

1 cup shortening

5 to 6 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 to 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

DIRECTIONS

In a mixing bowl, cream shortening and butter until fluffy, 5 to 6 minutes. Add sugar, and continue creaming until well blended.

Add salt, vanilla, and 4 ounces whipping cream. Blend on low speed until moistened. Add additional 2 ounces whipping cream if necessary. Beat at high speed until frosting is fluffy.

Milk-Chocolate Cookies with Malted Cream

For a baby shower gift, I received a magazine subscription to Food and Wine. It was nice to get a little something for myself, especially a magazine devoted to food. In the first issue that arrived to my house, they had a 10-page feature on "Milk Chocolate Desserts". It was nice to see chocolate recipes that weren't made with bittersweet and dark chocolate.

I'm a semi-sweet/milk chocolate fan, so I was excited to have everything on hand to make these Milk-Chocolate Cookies with Malted Cream. These take a bit of time. The cookie dough has to be rolled out, stamped, then chilled. After you get all rounds prepared and baked the malted cream comes together pretty quick and then all you have to do is fill and sandwich the cookies.

The cookies have a great brown sugar and cocoa flavor, but are pretty crispy (I prefer soft or slightly chewy cookies). The filling was really yummy and different. The chocolate malt powder was a nice touch and made for a unique and rich chocolate flavor that paired well with cocoa cookies.

If you having a craving for milk chocolate and want a yummy twist on a basic sandwich cookie, these were very tasty and great the next morning with coffee.

Recipe: foodandwine.com

A Few of My Favorite Things

Peppermint Candy Sandwich Cookies

Creamy peppermint frosting is encased between two buttery vanilla cookies. Tiny bits of peppermint candy add a nice crunch to the filling and pink sanding sugar adds a pretty sparkle to the top.

Cookie Ingredients:
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup Butter, softened
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract, if desired
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Pink decorator sugar
Filling Ingredients:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup Butter, softened
2 to 3 tablespoons Milk
1 drop red food color
1/4 cup finely crushed peppermint candies or candy canes

Decorations Ingredients:

Red, white or pink decorator sugar or edible glitter, if desiredCombine 2 cups powdered sugar and 1 cup butter in large bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Add eggs and peppermint extract; continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low; add flour. Beat until well mixed. Divide dough into fourths; wrap each fourth in plastic food wrap. Refrigerate until firm (at least 1 hour).

Heat oven to 350°F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface, one-fourth at a time (keeping remaining dough refrigerated) to 1/16 to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut with 2-inch cookie cutter. Cut a 1/2-inch circle from center of half of cookies. Place 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Sprinkle cookies with center cut-out with decorator sugar. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Cool on cookie sheets 1minute; remove to wire rack. Cool completely.

Combine 2 cups powdered sugar and 1/4 cup butter in small bowl. Beat at low speed, adding enough half & half for desired spreading consistency. Add red food color and crushed candies; continue beating until creamy. Spread 1 teaspoon filling onto bottom-side of cookie without holes. Top with cookie with center cut–out, bottom-side down. Sprinkle with decorator sugar or edible glitter, if desired.

Closing up Shop, for a week at least

It was a sad day.

I just boxed up my kitchen Aide Mixer (sniff) and all my baking equipment and ingredients(sigh). So, I won't be making any new recipes until after my move to Utah. But it won't be that long, because I get there on August 1st, Yipee. So, as soon as I can unload all my baking supplies and get my cupboards stocked, I will be back, eagerly baking and blogging.

For now though, I will post some of my favorite tried and true recipes.

Starting with...

Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies

These sandwich cookies are so delicious. Everybody always loves them at the parties I take them to. The cookies are really moist and chewy from the brown sugar, carrots and oats and all the warm spices make them so yummy. Sandwiched together with a rich cream cheese frosting and you've got yourself one fantastic cookie.

This is a picture from MarthaStewart.com. I can't find the one I took, but it looks way better than this sad shot. Anyway, don't go by the photo, they really are tasty

Ingredients
Makes about 25 sandwiches
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots, (about 3 large carrots)
Cream Cheese Frosting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper, and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugars and butter; beat until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until well combined.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger; stir to combine. Gradually add flour to butter mixture; mix on a low speed until just blended. Mix in oats, carrots, and raisins. Chill dough in refrigerator until firm, at least 1 hour.

Using a 1/2-ounce ice-cream scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. Transfer to oven, and bake until browned and crisped, rotating pan halfway through baking to ensure even color, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat baking process with remaining dough. Once cooled completely, use an offset spatula to spread about 2 teaspoons of cream-cheese filling onto a cookie. Sandwich together with a second cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Cream Cheese Frosting
This frosting is so yummy. It would be great on cupcakes and regular cakes too.

Makes about 2 cups
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
Place cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl. Using a rubber spatula, soften cream cheese. Gradually add butter, and continue beating until smooth and well blended. Sift in confectioners' sugar, and continue beating until smooth. Add vanilla, and stir to combine.

* You could add 1 cup raisins or 1 cup toasted pecans if you'd like. Or half and half of each. Also, golden raisin are nice in these.