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Yummy Links: From Sugar Cookies to Food Charities

partysugar — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 07:45:59 -0800

Tips for making the best sugar cookies. - Serious Eats
Fashion designers and models share their holiday recipes. - Style
How to roast and peel beets. - The Kitchn
A big top theme is perfect for a baby shower. - Hostess with the Mostess
The cheese clock makes pairing cheese with wine or beer easy. - The Epi-Log
This holiday give back: Here are 10 food charities to contribute to. - Chow

8 Awe-Inspiring Holiday Cookies

YumSugar — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:00:19 -0800

If you haven't warmed up to the holidays yet, it might be because you haven't been reminded of the delight that one experiences upon spotting a jaw-dropping Christmas cookie. Whether you're in the mood for a sugar-and-spice gingerbread house or an ooey-gooey peanut butter chocolate caramel cookie, these baked treats are sure to put you in the holiday spirit.

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Would You Rather Eat Gingerbread or Sugar Cookies?

partysugar — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 01:30:42 -0800

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Come Party With Me: Election Night - Dessert

partysugar — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:00:36 -0700

To keep things easy, serve a no-mess, no-utensil dessert on election night. At LibertySugar and my party, we'll be offering guests sugar cookies! Not just any sugar cookies, I plan on decorating the cookies to look like CitizenSugar's checked box symbol. I'll roll out Paula Deen's classic sugar cookie dough and cut out squares.

After baking the square-shaped cookies, they'll be covered with white frosting. Blue frosting will be used to outline a box shape and red frosting to make the check mark. Feel free to great creative and decorate with your favorite patriotic design! For the recipe, read more.

Sugar Cookies
From Paula Deen

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
Granulated sugar
Royal Icing, recipe follows

Directions

In a bowl, cream together the sugar and butter, then mix in the egg and vanilla and almond extracts.
In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and cream of tarter; mix the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture, then cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours, or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Divide the chilled dough in half and roll it out on a lightly floured pastry cloth to a 1/4-inch thickness.
Lightly grease some baking sheets.
Cut the dough with a floured cookie cutter; sprinkle with sugar.
Transfer the cookies to the prepared sheets and bake for 9 minutes.

Makes 5 dozen cookies.

Royal Icing:

3 egg whites
1 (1-pound) box confectioners' sugar
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
Food coloring, optional

In a medium bowl, combine egg whites, sugar, and cream of tarter. Beat at low speed with an electric mixer until blended.
Increase mixer speed to high, and beat 8 to 10 minutes, or until mixture holds a peak.
Cover with a damp cloth when not in use. Separate into bowls and add food coloring, if desired.

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Are You One Smart (Sugar) Cookie?

YumSugar — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 05:30:31 -0700

When it comes to sweet treats, it doesn't get much simpler than a sugar cookie. But this basic biscuit is also incredibly versatile, which is what makes sugar cookies so much fun.

You can cut them in shapes, color them with food coloring, or cover them in icing and sprinkles for various holidays. Speaking of holidays, today is National Sugar Cookie day, so you know what that means: It's time for a test!

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Take the quiz

Come Party With Me: Bachelorette - Dessert

partysugar — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:00:56 -0700

Although most of a bachelorette party in Vegas will be spent living it up in the casinos, bars, restaurants, and nightclubs, I'm hosting a small lingerie shower for Elena in my hotel room. Along with some simple snacks, I'll serve sugar cookies.

However, these cookies won't be round like in the picture: I'm making them festive by using pecker cookie cutters!

To take a look at the cookie recipe, read more.

Sugar Cookies
From Gourmet magazine

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups self-rising White Lily or cake flour
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Put flour in a bowl and make a well in center.
Beat together butter and sugar in another bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, then beat in egg and vanilla until blended.
Add butter mixture to flour and rub it into flour with your fingertips just until dough comes together in a ball (do not overwork dough, or it will be tough).
Halve dough and work with 1 half at a time. Roll out dough 1/4 inch thick on a floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin.
Cut out cookies with a floured cutter (we used a 2 1/2-inch fluted round cutter), arranging cookies, as cut, 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Reroll scraps once, using as little flour as possible, and cut out more cookies.
Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, in middle of oven until very pale golden, 12 to 15 minutes.
Cool on baking sheet 1 minute, then transfer to a rack to cool 5 minutes if serving warm, or to cool completely.

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen (3-inch) cookies.

Make ahead: cookies keep in an airtight container 1 week.

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Yummy Links: Springtime Cookies

YumSugar — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 14:25:51 -0800

C is for cookie and here are a bunch of adorable Spring cookie decorating ideas. Looks like I better go cookie-cutter shopping! - Kuidaore

Gorgeous Alphabet Sugar Cookies

partysugar — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 09:00:00 -0700

Having a good, reliable sugar cookie recipe in your repertoire is a must for every home baker. Sugar cookies are incredibly diverse and can be turned into many different kinds of cookies. For a clever take on place settings think about making these sugar cookie stand outs. Part of the dough is dyed red and two cookie cutter shapes are used to make the letter and the backing. These make beautiful edible ornaments come holiday time. To take a look at the recipe, read more

Sugar Cookie Standouts
From Better, Homes, and Gardens magazine

2/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
red (or any other color) food coloring
Edible glitter, sparkling sanding sugar, or granulated sugar (optional)

In a large mixing bowl beat butter on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, milk, and, vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour.
Tint one-third of the dough red with 3/4 teaspoon liquid red food coloring before chilling. Cover and chill dough for 2 to 3 hours or until easy to handle.
On a lightly floured surface form a mound by dropping small amounts of each of the doughs close together in a random pattern. Gently shape the mound into a ball. Divide in half. Cover and chill until easy to handle.
On a lightly floured surface, roll half the dough at a time to 1/8 inch thickness. Using a 3-inch alphabet-shaped cutter, cut into desired shapes. Sprinkle with edible glitter, sparkling sanding sugar, or granulated sugar, if desired. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake in a 375 degree oven for 7 to 8 minutes or until edges are firm and very lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

Makes 36 cookies.

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Get Caught in a Spiderweb Cookie

YumSugar — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 07:01:38 -0700

I love how Halloween has really become a celebrated holiday of its own. There are a ton of festive ways to decorate your house, lots of pumpkins to carve and best of all, treats to make! If you're looking for a simple cookie for your Halloween party, pot luck or office, then look no further. These simple spiderweb cookies are wonderfully tasty and cute too! To get the how-to, read more

For an extra bit of fun, use a spiderweb cookie cutter instead of a plain circle.

Spiderweb Cookies
From Gourmet Magazine, November 2007

2 batches decorating icing (recipe follows)
1 batch sugar cookies, cut out using 3 1/3-inch round or octagonal cookie cutter, baked according to directions in recipe, and cooled completely (recipe follows)
Black food coloring, preferably liquid

Special equipment: 3 pastry bags fitted with couplers, 2 #3-size (medium, round) decorating tips, 1 #1-size (small, round) decorating tip, small offset spatula, toothpicks

Make thin icing: In large bowl, stir together 1 batch icing and 2 tablespoons water. Fit 1 pastry bag with #3-size tip and fill with thin icing.
Color thicker icing: Divide second batch icing between 2 medium bowls. To icing in 1 bowl, gradually mix in black food coloring until icing is black. Fit second pastry bag with second #3-size tip and fill with black icing.
Fit third pastry bag with #1-size tip and fill with remaining (thicker) white icing.
Pipe border: Using pastry bag with #1 tip and thicker white icing, pipe around outer edge of 1 cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies and let set 2 minutes.
"Flood" to fill center: Using pastry bag with #3 tip and thinner white icing, squirt pool of icing into center of 1 cookie, then spread to edge with small offset spatula. Repeat with second cookie, giving first time to set.
Pipe circles: Returning to first cookie, using pastry bag with black icing, pipe concentric circles over white icing, beginning in center and ending almost at edge. Repeat with second cookie, giving first time to set.
Form spiderweb pattern: Returning to first cookie, position tip of toothpick in center and drag through icing out to edge. Wipe tip and repeat 7 more times to make 8 evenly spaced, radiating lines like spokes of wheel.
Next, position tip at edge, halfway between 2 lines, and drag inward to center to create another line. Wipe tip and repeat 7 more times to make 8 more lines between first 8.
Repeat process with second iced cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies, working in batches of 2 to allow icing to partially set, but not harden, between steps. Let cookies dry, uncovered, at room temperature 10 hours or overnight. (Once dry, cookies will keep, layered between sheets of wax paper or parchment, in airtight container at room temperature 1 week.)

Decorating Icing
From Gourmet Magazine, December 2005

1 (1-lb) box confectioners sugar
4 teaspoons powdered egg whites (not reconstituted) such as Just Whites
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat together all ingredients in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until just combined, about 1 minute.
Increase speed to high and continue to beat until icing holds stiff peaks, about 3 minutes in a stand mixer or 10 minutes with a handheld. If not using icing immediately, cover surface with a dampened paper towel, then cover bowl with plastic wrap.

Note: Icing can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, its surface covered with dampened paper towel and bowl covered with plastic wrap.

Sugar Cookies
From Gourmet Magazine, December 2005

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Whisk together flour and salt in a small bowl.
Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a stand mixer or 6 minutes with a handheld. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, mixing until just combined.
Form dough into 2 balls and flatten each into a 6-inch disk. Chill disks, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
Roll out 1 disk of dough (keep remaining dough chilled) into an 8 1/2-inch round (1/4 inch thick) on a well-floured surface with a well-floured rolling pin. (If dough becomes too soft to roll out, rewrap in plastic and chill until firm.) Cut out as many cookies as possible from dough with cutters and transfer to 2 ungreased large baking sheets, arranging cookies about 1 inch apart.
Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until edges are golden, 10 to 12 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.
Meanwhile, gather scraps and chill until dough is firm enough to reroll, 10 to 15 minutes. Make more cookies with remaining dough and scraps (reroll scraps only once) and bake on cooled baking sheets.

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No Snickering at the Snickerdoodles

YumSugar — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:14:00 -0700

Earlier this week, I gave you guys a recipe for a cookie full of Snickers candies, which is what I dreamt of every time folks would mention snickerdoodles. Well, a few of you wrote in to ask exactly what a snickerdoodle was. Simply put, a snickerdoodle is a type of soft sugar cookie, dusted with cinnamon and sugar. They're usually a little crunchy on top, and soft and chewy in the middle.

Some folks think the name comes from the corruption of the German word schneckennudeln - a type of cinnamon-dusted sweet roll - but no one is really sure. No matter where its name comes from, it's definitely a cookie worth trying, and one to keep in your cookie repertoire. For a classic recipe, read more

Snickerdoodles
From Betty Crocker
Image Source

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 400ºF.
Mix 1 1/2 cups sugar, the butter, shortening and eggs in large bowl. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.
Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Mix 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.
(Total time will vary; cook or bake time is per batch.)

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