Friday, December 31, 2010

This Week's Moment

{this moment} - "A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see." Inspired by SouleMama.

New Year Star Sugar Cookies

New Year Star Sugar Cookies





No better way to kick off the new year then with good friends and good food. So for this New Year celebration I have made some sugar cookies with butter cream frosting, delicious. I am still working on the resolutions but for now just fun.


Ingredients For the Cookies
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Baking Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
Roll out dough on floured surface 1/2 inch thick. When they are rolled a little thick it will give you a softer cookie. It you prefer a crispier sugar cookie roll them about 1/4in. Cut into shapes with the cookie cutter of your choice. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets or baking stone if you have one.
Bake about 7 minutes. Cool completely.

Tips:
*When they are done cooking then the center of the cookie will not look greasy like melted butter.
*If you want soft cookies do not let them brown at all in the oven.
*Cookies keep baking a little when you pull them out of the oven.
* Key to having sugar cookies keep their shape while baking and not melting / flattening out is to keep the dough cold. As you are rolling them if it taking a while pull half the dough out of the fridge and work with that while leaving the other half in to stay cold then when you are ready pull the second half out.

Butter Cream Frosting Ingredients
  • One stick soft butter
  • 3 3/4C powder sugar
  • 5 Tbsp milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • about 4 Tbsp cream cheese (optional but gives a really nice texture and less buttery flavor)
Directions
Blend until smooth, eat a few spoon fulls just, wait to ice cookies until they are completely cool and enjoy!