Cookies

Yesterday, we exchanged gifts at work since I am leaving today heading for Alabama. I made cookies for everyone at work this year. Last year, everyone got a cake, but I had a request for cookies, so cookies it was. One of the cookies I made, and I made four varieties, was a simple sugar cookie. It's adapted from a recipe called "The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies." I scooped mine instead of rolling them out. They are so buttery and sugary that you can't help but love them. The recipe turned out so well (with a few modifications) that I wanted to share this recipe with you.

The Best Sugar Cookies (It makes about 60 cookies.)

1 1/2 cups of butter, softened

2 cups of white sugar

4 eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 

5 cups of self-rising flour 

(You can also use 5 cups of all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of salt, instead of the 5 cups of self-rising flour, but I find using self-rising flour easier in this recipe.)

1. Start by creaming together the butter and sugar in a large bowl.

2. Then beat in eggs and vanilla.

3. Stir in the flour.

4a. Here is where it's deviated from the original recipe. In the original recipe, it calls for chilling the dough for an hour. This is called for if you plan to roll out the cookie dough to 1/4 to 1/2 inches thick and use cookie cutters to make cute little shapes. 

4b. I chose to scoop out the dough using a 1 inch cookie scoop and rolling the dough into a ball and placing a few inches apart on the pan. I try to fit twelve cookies per pan. You can roll the balls in sugar or in red and green sugar sprinkles to be more festive, though I did not do this (mainly because I couldn't find the sprinkles I wanted).

5. Either way you choose I suggest lining the pan with parchment paper before placing the cookies on the pan.

6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

7. Place cookies in preheated oven for 6-8 minutes if you rolled out the dough, or 10 minutes if you scooped the dough.

8. Cool before serving. If you are going to icing the cookies make sure they are cooled completely. For icing you can use a mixture of water or milk and confectioners sugar. It should be thick enough to spread and thin enough as not to soak into the cookie.

So there you have it, the best sugar cookie recipe. They are absolutely yummy. I made a batch from leftover dough last night and ate the whole pan of cookies. If I didn't eat the whole pan I might have one day been able to have abs like the guy in the picture, but is it worth it? 

I know my instructions are a little wacky, but I like to explain every step as opposed to minimal instructions that can lead you astray. 

Enjoy!