My Valentines

Today I will be whipping up some ginormous heart shaped cookies for Valentines day. Usually I take a trip to a local baker and get them, but this year I thought I'd do it myself. I found the BEST recipe ever for sugar cookies, including a candy crunchy icing that rivals the cookies I used to bear the elements going to get.

In case you want to try it out for yourself, here's my recipe.

(Okay, they are not huge like I wanted, but they are cute!)

Sugar Cookies and Icing

Cookies

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened

¾ cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until blended. Add egg and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour until dough comes together. Gather dough into a ball, flatten into a disc, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Heat oven to 350°. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 3/16-inch thickness, cut with shapes. Transfer shapes to ungreased cookies sheets. Reroll scraps and cut more shapes. Bake cookies for 14-16 minutes. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool.

Icing

1 pound (4 cups) confectioners sugar

3 tablespoons powdered egg whites (or meringue powder)

7 tablespoons water

food coloring

Combine confectioners sugar, egg whites, and water in a large bowl. With an electric mixer on low speed, beat until blended, then increase speed to high and beat 6 minutes. Gradually add more water if needed to achieve desired consistency. Divide and tint with food coloring. Spread or pipe onto cooled cookies. Icing will dry candy hard, let dry completely at room temperature before stacking cookies. 

YUM!

Day 10 - PB&J Cookies

I had the genius idea to turn my plain old peanut butter cookies into some sweet PB&J thumbprints for my cookie swap. I'm sure it's been done before, but here is the recipe I came up with.

PB&J Thumbprint Cookies

3/4 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup crisco

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

3 Tbsp milk

1 Tbsp vanilla

1 egg

1 3/4 cups flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup strawberry jam

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine peanut butter, crisco, sugar, milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Add egg and mix well. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until well blended.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on greased baking sheet. With thumb, gently press a small indent in the middle of each cookie. Bake for 5 minutes.

Remove cookies from oven and fill indents with jam. Return to oven for 7 minutes.

Cool finished cookies on sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. 

Day 17 - Cinnamon Sugar Biscuits

I've been looking all over for a sugar cookie recipe that resembles my fave childhood cookie, the smiley face. I stumbled across the recipe below, from a woman trying to replicate a similar treat from a Pittsburgh bakery. While I didn't think it was anywhere near what I was looking for, I thought it would make a great breakfast biscuit for Christmas morning!

Cinnamon Sugar Biscuits 

1 cup sugar
1 cup shortening
1 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
4 1/2 cups flour
6 teaspoons baking powder
1 Tsp cinnamon 

2 Tbsp sugar

In mixing bowl, cream together sugar, shortening, milk, and eggs. Add in flour and baking powder (mixture will be stiff, you may need to use your hands to mix). Roll dough until it is 1/2-inch thick and cut using a circular cutter or the rim of a drinking glass. Mix cinnamon and sugar, then sprinkle on biscuits.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Remove immediately and cool on a wire rack.

Day 27, 26, 25 - Freezer Cookies

Sorry I neglected you for a few days. Truth be told, I had a very hectic weekend with a sick kid, a crabby toddler, and an Etsy boom over the big holiday shopping days. Now that it is over, I am back with a few recipes for some awesome cookies you can make now and eat later.

- Day 27 -

Pinwheels

1 1/2 sticks butter, at room temp

1 pack of cream cheese, 8 oz., at room temp

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

1 egg, beaten

2 tbsp coarse sugar

Beat butter, cream cheese, and sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla. Gradually add flour until just mixed.

Knead dough on a floured surface for 2-3 minutes. Divide the dough into 2 1-inch thick squares. Wrap in plastic wrap and refirgerate 1 hour.

Roll 1 square into a 9x12-inch rectangle on parchment paper. Spread half of the jam over dough. Cut dough crosswise into three 9x4-inch rectangles. Start on the long side and roll each rectangle into a log. Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate 30 minutes. Repeat with other dough square. TO FREEZE: Skip the fridge and freeze the finished log for up to 2 months, then follow directions below and bake from frozen for 25 minutes.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Slice logs into 1-inch pieces and space 1 1/2-inches apart on greased cookie sheet. Brush with egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes.  

- Day 26 -

Glazed Lemon Cookies

1 1/2 sticks butter, at room temp

3/4 cup sugar

2  large egg yolks

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups flour

1 cup confectioners sugar

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp grated lemon zest

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and salt. Gradually add flour until just mixed.

Divide dough in half and shape into 1 1/4-inch logs. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes. TO FREEZE: Skip the fridge and freeze the finished log for up to 2 months, then follow directions below and bake from frozen for 25 minutes.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Slice logs into 3/8-inch pieces and space 1 1/2-inches apart on greased cookie sheet. Bake 16-20 minutes, or until lightly golden. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

In a small bowl, whisk confectioners sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest until it forms a thick, but pourable glaze. Dip each cookie in glaze and let set 15 minutes. 

- Day 25 - 

 Pecan Snowballs

1 cup pecans

2 sticks butter, at room temp

1 3/4 cups confectioners sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp salt

2 cups flour

Toast pecans on a rimmed baking sheet for 8 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool and chop.

Beat butter and 1 cup sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla, almond extract, and salt. Gradually add flour until just mixed. Mix in pecans.

Shape dough into tablespoon sized balls and place on lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. TO FREEZE: Skip the fridge and freeze the balls of dough on sheet for 30 minutes, then transfer to a bag for up to 2 months. Follow directions below and bake from frozen for 25 minutes.

Space balls 1 1/2-inches apart on greased cookie sheet. Bake 18-22 minutes, or until lightly golden. Let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes.

Place 1/2 cup sugar in bowl. Toss warm cookies in sugar and return to baking sheet. Sift remaining flour over cookies before serving. 

Day 39 - Shortbread Cookies

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love baking. Every year, about a week before Christmas, I start rolling out dozens of cookies. As part of my DIY Christmas, I plan to hand out lots and lots of my fave cookie recipes. Starting with this easy one for...

Scottish Shortbread

2 cups butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

4 ½ cups flour

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar. Add 3 to 3 ¾ cups flour. Mix well.

Sprinkle board with remaining flour. Knead for 5 minutes, adding enough flour to make a soft dough. Roll to ½ inch thickness. Cut into 3x1 inch strips. Prick with fork and place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 20-25 minutes.

Want to dress them up for gifts and holiday tables? 
Try this...

* Dip the ends of the baked cookie in milk chocolate. 

* Use festive cookie cutters instead of cutting strips.

* Tie a copy of the recipe and a cookie cutter to a bag of cookies for a sweet gift for a neighbor.