Friday, November 20, 2015

Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe

I have a huge binder that I keep a bunch of recipes in and I used to pull it out every time that I was baking.  Sadly, only half of the recipes that I had fit into it.  It was huge and overstuffed and barely fit on the shelf.  I got two different (and very pretty) Hallmark cookbooks for my wedding shower over 11 years ago so I decided that I would use one of them to put all of the recipes that I actually made over and over into.

Inside the new condensed cookbook, I don't have to ask myself... "Is this the oatmeal cookie recipe that I use or is this other one?"  Which usually got answered based on which ever one was dirtier or I had to call my mother.  Seeing that this wasn't the best method, I added recipes after they were made a few times to my cookbook which is on a stand in the kitchen.  It includes pumpkin bread, banana bread, applesauce bread, chocolate chip cookies and American Sandwich Bread (which I actually make without the recipe now because I do it so often).

Did you hear a recipe for sugar cookies in there?  Nope!!  I had to go to the basement (sadly where the cookbook is now that I don't have a wonderful bookcase in my kitchen like my old house) and find all of the sugar cookie recipes.  Then I had to figure out which one of them I used.

I knew it was one of the ones from my middle school home ec class (Thanks Mrs. Lucey) but I wasn't sure past that.  I looked at the ingredients.  I didn't have sour cream so that was out.  I didn't remember using confectioners sugar so that was out.  I went with Edith's Cookies... and no I don't know who that is but I remember it being in a paper that my teacher gave me and we made them.  I came home and saved it but rarely make it because I hate rolling out the cookie dough!!  Although the finished product is really good, I don't really have the patience for all that work but I needed cut out cookies for my class Halloween party so I set to work making them.



I pulled out the vegetable shortening, butter and coconut butter to mix to get the needed fat in the recipe with 1/4 cup yet.


I mixed the butters and shortening with the sugar.  I added in the eggs and vanilla.


 I added the flour, baking powder and salt into the mixture to add the wet to the dry ingredients.


It quickly mixed in to make a great dough.


I scraped the bowl and put the dough in a big ball and put it in the fridge.  It needed to be a little bit of time in the fridge so I left to get my son at school while it cooled.


 I put the dough on a floured surface.  I used the rolling pin to roll the dough out.  I cut out the round cookies to make cookies to decorate.  The great news is that it was still easy to re-roll the dough when there were leftovers even though I am sure that I should have chilled them again.


I got lots of round cookies which were nice and crispy but barely brown.


 Then, we got to decorate them with icing and lots of toppings.  These were the ones that I made at home.  My son and I enjoyed them with icing and my husband enjoyed them plain.  They weren't very sugary but they were an interesting treat more like a shortbread cookie.  I can't wait to make them again with sugar crystals on them before they are baked.  That is my favorite way to make them because it is easiest to make and still yummy to eat.






They were super tasty and we really enjoyed them and I hope that you will to.  They are great for any holiday or occasion.  I hope that you make them and enjoy them as much as we did.

Edith's Sugar Cookie Cut Outs

3/4 c. Part Butter and Shortening
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. lemon extract or 1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Mix shortening, butter, sugar, eggs and extract together until creamed.  Add dry ingredients, flour, baking powder and salt and mix until combined. Chill for at least 1 hour.

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Roll out to 1/8 inch thickness on floured surface with floured rolling pin.  Cut with a 3 inch cookie cutter and place on ungreased cookie sheet or silpat.  Bake 6-8 minutes or until very lightly brown on the edge of the cookies.   Decorate or Eat Plain.

6 comments:

  1. Ha! I also go by how many stains are on a recipe, sometimes, to figure out if that's the one I'm looking for :) I have a lot (thousands!) of recipes in page protectors in binders and just as many that I clipped and haven't filed yet. It can be overwhelming! Nowadays I try to put a comment on the sheet if we particularly liked it like "YUM!". It kind of helps when I'm looking through the pile for ideas of what to cook.

    My kids' favorite sugar cookie recipe (well, the only sugar recipe that I use since they love it) is from a kids' cookbook that came with one of those kid baking kits that I had gotten when they were babies, with cookie cutters and a small baking sheet. Since the book is small and it's the first recipe in the book, it's easy to spot on the shelf that has many cookbooks, one of the reasons why I just keep on using it :)

    Are you using the Melt just to get rid of it or is it because you like the coconut flavor? I have to battle myself when I make my own sugar cookies because I'm cheap so I want to use margarine, but they bake (and retain their shape) so much better when I use real butter. I haven't tried shortening in cookies.

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    1. I only use the Melt butter in things that I don't mind tasting sweeter. It has a very distinctive taste if you just use in on bread to eat which I don't like. I think that is tastes great in bread or baking though so I have tried to use it in those because I got them for $0.29 which is super great since butter and margarine are so much more expensive. I had a note on another sugar cookie recipe that they are not good for cut outs because they are too dark. I reminded myself about that but I make cut outs so infrequently that I don't know which ones I used last or how I did it. Hopefully I will make them again soon. I have a few icings in the freezer so I am sure that my son would enjoy all the different flavors of frosting.

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    2. Thanks for mentioning the icing! My daughter made those Spooky Brownies for Halloween and I still have the remnants of the colored icing she used but didn't finish, taking room in my fridge. I think I'll make a batch of sugar cookie dough today and have her decorate the cookies with those. She was complaining last night that she was "bored", lol. Heck, I'll have HER make the cookie dough too.

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    3. That sounds great!!! I can't exactly do that with a 6 year old. It is great to end up with homemade cookies and not have to lift a hand :) Perfect day for cookies!!! Hope you enjoy.

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  2. Thanks for posting this recipe. I made a 1/2 recipe since I didn't know if my husband would like them. I was lazy so rolled into a log and wrapped in cling wrap and put in refrig. for an hour. Sliced and baked. (Sprinkled a little sugar on top before baking). I ate 4! but my husband came home and ate almost the rest of the cookies. Guess this recipe is a keeper. Will mix up a full batch tomorrow and roll into 2 logs, wrap and freeze to have on hand. Thanks again.

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    1. I think that I am going to do the logs next time. I think that it would be perfect to make a few batches and freeze the logs. I am glad that everyone liked them....even if maybe a little too much :) I hope that you enjoy this recipe for a long time to come.

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