Merciful God, You are great in compassion and Your tenderness for us is without measure. We ask You to give us today our daily bread, and also provide for the needs of all of Your hungry children around the world. Through Christ Your Son and Our Lord. Amen.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Frosted Sugar Cookies -- Thumbs Up

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This next recipe is probably my kids' favorite. They are a soft cut-out sugar cookie that you frost with a thick buttercream frosting and top with colored sugar. As cut-outs go, they are not fussy, so they fit my criteria for a cookie. My mom makes butter shortbread cutouts and paints them (yes, with a paint brush) with frosting. Very fussy, and while they taste good, I just cannot commit that kind of time to baking. These Bakery Sugar Cookies are a sort of wham bam sugar cookie. They are rolled thickly, baked quickly and frosted as soon as they are cool. Just a thick lick of frosting and a sprinkle with colored sugar and they're good.

If you have a Cheryl & Co. nearby, you'll find these are very similar.



Bakery Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter or butter Crisco
2 t. baking soda
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1 cup sugar
3 cups flour
a few tablespoons of milk as necessary

Cream together butter and sugar with electric mixer.
Add egg, vanilla and baking soda. Add flour one cup at a time.
Add milk one tablespoon at a time until dough is of rolling consistency.
Roll out and cut into shapes (roll thick).
Bake for 6-7 minutes on ungreased cookie sheet on top shelf of oven at 400 degrees.
(Cookies will look undone on top). Cool and frost.

Frosting:
4 T. softened butter
2 c. powdered sugar
a few T. milk to make frosting spreading consistency

Beat butter in a mixing bowl and add powdered sugar gradually.
Add milk and beat until frosting is a good spreading consistency.

After frosting cookies, sprinkle immediately with colored sugar.
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16 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi, I've loved reading your blog! Your menus and meals are so well organized!
Does this icing recipe harden, so that the cookies can be stored without smearing? If not, do you have one you can share?

Thanks, and may your holy days be filled with joy!

Barbara said...

Yes, it does get stiff. I wouldn't say "hard," but stiff enough to pack away. I let them sit out for a couple hours and then I usually pack them in large sealable plastic (like the Glad bakeware) with wax paper in between layers.

Thanks for stopping by. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Unknown said...

Thank you, Barbara. I appreciate it.

Anonymous said...

How many cookies does this recipe make? It sounds delicious! Thanks!!

Barbara said...

Krystal, It really depends on the size of the cookie cutter. Mine are medium -- I usually make bells and stars, trees, and a few gingerbread men, which are larger. I usually get at least 36 out of the recipe.

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much!!! I'm making them as I type :)

Anonymous said...

WOW, those are some really amazingly good cookies!!! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!! I made small ones, I have like 1" or 1.5" small cookie cutters, and the darn recipe made 91 cookies!!! I shared them with all the neighbors :) I do have one more question, however; do the plain cookies or the dough freeze well, do you know? If so, how long would it keep? Thank you so much, they are delicious!

Barbara said...

I've never frozen the dough, but the unfrosted cookies freeze just fine! I'm sure you could keep them frozen for a month or so. Glad you liked them. I use this recipe for many holidays -- Valentine's Day, Easter, Memorial Day -- you can imagine.

Anonymous said...

I just wanted to say that I'm making these sugar cookies a traditional holiday cookie for my family as well - they are amazing! I wanted to thank you *again* for the recipe :) :) :) The world must know about these tremendous cookies! Lol! I'm actually going to make them in my college dorm room sometime soon...

Barbara said...

Ha, ha, Krystal! If you make those in your dorm, you'll be the most popular girl around. Like Emeril always says -- "go make a friend."

I'm glad you like them. With a variety of cookie cutters and colored sugar, they certainly can be enjoyed at every holiday! I'll be making some pink sprinkled ones this week for my little loves!

Anonymous said...

Barbara~

I am so glad I found this cookie recipe. I love the taste of Cheryl and Co. sugar cookies cookies but do not have one in San Diego. When you make the sugar cookies do you use butter flavor crisco or do you use butter? Does one make the cookie taste more like Cheryl and Co. cookies more than the other?

Heather

Barbara said...

Heather, I have tried all butter, all butter Crisco, and half real butter/ half regular Crisco. My personal favorite would be all butter, but I think the butter Crisco makes a more Cheryl-like cookie. They are softer with all Crisco, but you need to use the butter Crisco for the right flavor. Another key to getting a Cheryl-like cookie is to not bake them too long -- they need to look almost undone when you take them out of the oven.

Christina H. said...

I was sooo glad to find this recipe! I grew up in Columbus and not having a Cheryls near me anymore makes me really miss their cut outs. I can't wait to give these a try this weekend. Again, thanks for sharing! :)

Natalie M. said...

I am so excited to try this recipe! I grew up in Columbus and I use to have a Cheryl co cookie every Christmas. I am in ND now and it is way too expensive to order them...I am going to go make these now! Thanks a bunch!

Goody2Shoes said...

I Help! I need exact measurements! How much is "a few teaspoons of milk"?!? Looks sooooo good!

Barbara said...

Start with 1 tablesppon and add more if needed to get to the right consistency. It will depend on the weather, your brand of flour/sugar -- lots of things.