Sugar Cookie recipe and tips

After my recent sugar cookie post, I told C.L. Hanson that I would give her tips on sugar cookie baking. I've had other people ask me about it before, and truth be told, this is my one real talent, so here goes.

This recipe gets full credit from Betty crocker. However, I've been using this recipe for so long, I really understand how it works and how to make it work.

For starters, this is a 3 day process for me. I make the dough one day, roll and cut them out the next day, then frost on the third. This is usually because I at least double, often triple the recipe. It is soooo yummy, I have to accomodate everyone. This recipe is so great because it doesn't have any nasty aftertaste, and it's not too sweet.

The recipe:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 egg
2 1/2 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1. In large bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, the butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, almond extract and egg until well blended. Stir in flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours.
2. Heat oven to 375°F. Divide dough in half. On lightly floured, cloth covered surface, roll each half of dough 3/16 inch thick. Cut into assorted shapes with cookie cutters, or cut around patterns traced from storybook illustrations. If cookies are to be hung as decorations, make a hole in each 1/4 inch from top with end of plastic straw. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until light brown. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

The tricks I use:

Lots of flour. I only use the amount required for the recipe, but when I get ready to roll and cut, I put a fresh layer on the counter or table, I sprinkle some on the mound of cookie dough, then I make sure the rolling pin has plenty as well. I keep the flour container handy and am constantly dipping into it.

When I roll the dough out, I leave it somewhat thick. If it's too thin, it'll fall apart and burn easily. It's okay to make less cookies than the recipe says it will. This is quality, not quantity.

I use a pampered chef baking stone. This gets the cookies evenly baked, without the burnt or crisp edges. This also makes them soooooo soft and they practically melt in your mouth. The first batch will always take longer to cook because the stone isn't heated yet, but I cut down the time by a minute or two after that.

I don't use complicated shape patterns. Hearts are perfect because they're very simple and easy to scrape up and out. I also don't mind pumpkins, christmas trees, stars, easter eggs, etc. When you get into tricky things like bats (the animal, not baseball), candy canes, flowers with stems etc., the dough doesn't stay together well and the cookies come out looking warped, not to mention they're more difficult to frost.

As for frosting, I use the Wilton buttercream recipe. I took a cake decorating class a couple of years ago where I learned this recipe, and it is delicious!

1 cup solid vegetable shortening
1 teaspoon Clear Vanilla
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approx. 1 lb.)
2 tablespoons milk**
1 pinch of salt

Except I use 1 TBS of meringue powder, water instead of milk, and clear butter flavoring instead of clear vanilla. (All Wilton brand products!). Also, I only use white shortening, in order to get the coloring I want. You can add more water to lessen the thickness of the recipe. For sugar cookie decorating, the consistency should be medium. Thickness is for things like roses on cakes, and thin consistency is what frosts a cake without getting crumbs in the icing.

Boring post. Any questions?

Happy 5th Birthday to my sweethearts!

Five years ago today my world was changed forever. I had an outrageously high blood pressure, so my OB/GYN insisted on delivering my babies as soon as they were healthy enough to thrive. I was not ready yet-- as much pain and discomfort I had, I loved being pregnant and I did not want it to end. However, my body had grown weary, and it was too dangerous to let it continue. Alexa and Emilie were born on November 18, 2001 at 9:29 and 9:31 AM. Alexa was 6lb 15 oz, Emilie was 5lb 10 oz. There was a weight difference due to a slight case of Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome. I was very lucky that they were as big and healthy as they were. They were born at 35 weeks, 6 days.


I actually asked my OB for a c-section. Baby A was head down and ready to be born, but baby B was breech. I wasn't dialated or effaced at all, and I was told that they could try to induce labor, but chances are it wouldn't happen and I may end up needing a c-section anyway, since baby B was still breech. No way in hell did I want a vaginal birth and a c-section, so I opted for the safe bet.

The epidural didn't take on me, so I had to have a spinal block. When I was in the operating room, my husband was sitting next to me and breathing very heavy... he's somewhat of a medical wimp. I was feeling great on the spinal block, and didn't feel like I needed him there, so I told him to leave, I was fine. I didn't want to worry about my body being cut open and him passing out. He stood at the door and watched while my anesthesiologist stood over me and gave me the play by play details of my daughters being born. "I see the first head... she has curly blonde hair! I see the second head... and she has curly blonde hair too!" Here they are, a few hours after birth (sorry the picture is small... all of my pictures are in storage right now and this is the best I could come up with):




After they were born, we became a freak show, and I can slightly understand what it's like to be a celebrity. We had people visiting us in the hospital, nonstop. We finally had to ask the nurses to not allow any more visitors, because my blood pressure wasn't going down and I wasn't getting any rest. People that I hardly knew wanted to come see the identical babies. Going to the store, restaurant, on a walk... it didn't matter. Complete strangers would see identical babies and come up to me asking me the most personal questions about my family history and fertility. I got used to it for the most part. I still have people who stare at us when I take them places, but we don't mind. The attention is harmless and comments are usually very kind.

Here they are one year ago... I'll post new pics after they're taken:



I'm so lucky to have them. My daughters are the brightest, most intelligent, and downright funny little girls I've ever had the pleasure to know, let alone raise. They are each others best friend, which is exactly what I hoped for when I found out I was pregnant with twin girls.



Here's the cake I made them for their birthday:



As a sidenote, today is also the anniversary of my first date with my husband, we've been together for 11 years. I suppose I should go make out with him or something.

Since the cat is out of the bag...

I'm pretty sure that La and Eric are the only ones who are going to be at the Halloween party that I'm going to, who read my blog. All of my other friends fear blogs, I don't get it. Anyway, here is a hint as to what my costume will be.


I made this cake for a talent party I went to last year. *sigh* I don't know what I got myself into.