Saturday 28 June 2014

Sprinkle Cookies

My youngest son's favourite. I don't know if its the sprinkles or maybe its the soft sugar cookie but this cookie appeals to all kids. I love to serve cookies for dessert at family gatherings. People can just grab a cookie and continue to visit and the kids don't make a mess. There is no need for plates or forks. It's a win-win.



Start by creaming the butter and the sugar. Mix well until they are well combined and have lightened in colour.

Add the eggs, vanilla and almond extract. Mix well.







Add the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt and freshly grated nutmeg.  combine gently until well mixed.







The nutmeg is the secret ingredient. It will have a far superior flavour if it is freshly grated.







Spread a whole jar of round, multi colored sprinkles into a shallow plate. I have used a pie plate here. Drop the balls of cookie dough right onto the sprinkles. I like to use a small ice cream scoop to make the job go faster.

Press the dough into the sprinkles gently so that the whole bottom surface is covered with the sprinkles.


Flp the cookies over so that the sprinkles are on the top. Put them onto an ungreased cookie sheet pan. Bake them for 8-10 minutes.

I like to bake these cookies until they just start to turn golden.




They are just so delicious. A great treat to share with the class. Excellent for bake sales.

They freeze very well too, if they last that long.






Sprinkle Cookies

1 cup room temperature butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 large container multi coloured round sprinkles

Saturday 14 June 2014

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies












Without a doubt the best sugar cookies, ever. The secret is the sour cream. Not only does the sour cream provide a nice tang in this cookie, it also produces a very tender cookie. The dough is easy to work with and although making these cookies is a bit of work, they are so worth it.
A special thank you to Angie, from work, for sharing this fabulous recipe with me.

The recipe makes a lot, but they freeze beautifully. Watch me make them on Youtube.



Start by creaming the butter and sugar. Mix on high with an electric mixer  until the butter and sugar are well combined.
Add the eggs, vanilla, sour cream and lemon juice. Mix well.
Then add the dry ingredients. Mix gently until combined and dough forms a loose ball.





Divide the dough in half, form into a disc and wrap with cling film. Refrigerate for at least and hour. The dough will keep in the fridge for a few days.






Remove the dough for about twenty minutes before rolling. Use
extra flour to stop the dough from sticking as you roll it. The dough should be about 1/4 inch thick.





Use your favourite cookie cutter. I'm using a pretty flower cookie cutter for summer time.

Place onto a cookie sheet, spacing about 1 inch apart
Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. I like to bake these until they are just beginning to brown. They will puff up a bit and be soft and chewy by the next day.

If you prefer crispy cookies, just bake them a little longer.





Let them cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet before removing them to a cooling rack.






While your cookies are cooling, make the icing.

Combine softened butter with vanilla and powdered sugar. Add enough milk to make a soft, spreadable icing. Add food colouring if you desire.



Ice each cookie as you wish. I mixed red and blue food colouring to make a pretty lavender colour. Then I sprinkled the cookies with purple sugar. I put a little yellow sugar in the middle to look like the stamen of the flower.








I think that they look great. They are just sooooo good!


Watch me make them on Youtube.





1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 cups sour cream
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2tbsp baking powder
6-7 cups flour

Cream butter and sugar in an electric mixer until well combined and pale yellow in colour. Add sour cream, egg, vanilla and lemon juice. Mix until combined. Add salt, baking soda, bake ing powder, and flour. Mix gently until dough forms a loose ball. Pat dough into two 8 inch discs, cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to four days.

The dough can also be frozen at this point. Put disc into ziplock bag and then into freezer, thaw overnight in the fridge

Roll the dough with a rolling pin to about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with a cookie cutter of choice. Bake at 350 degrees Celsius for 8-10 min on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until the tops are just starting to become coloured and the bottoms are golden brown. I like to undertake them a bit for a nice soft cookie. If you prefer crisp cookies just bake for a minute or two longer. Remove the hot cookies into a cooling rack. Cool completely before icing them.

Buttercream Icing
1/2 cup room temperature butter
1/2tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
3-5 tbsp of milk
Food colouring(optional)
Mix butter and vanilla together with electric mixer. Add sugar and 3 tbsp milk. Mix to combing. Add enough milk a teaspoon at a time until mixture is the right consistency for spreading.
Add food colouring if desired.

Ice completely cooled cookies. Let sit at room temperature for a couple of hours. Freeze in layers separated by wax paper or parchment paper.
Watch me make them on youtube.