As I’m putt
ing the finishing touches on Tempering the Viscount’s Envy, book 3 in The Lords of Vice Series for Dragonblade Publishing, I just had to bake the batch of sugar cookie dough I whipped up two days ago.
The recipe I have is based off one I found years ago in one of Mom’s favorite cookbooks. I’ve made it with butter–and the cookies are delicious…but not as soft as I remember baking them when I was 12. And then I remembered, Mom always baked with margarine. Growing up, butter was a bit dear at times and as long as there were homemade cookies, my brother, sisters, and I never complained. Neither did Dad. We used to tease that he had 32 Sweet Teeth!
I only use pure vanilla extract. I’ll pay extra for the heavenly flavor. Instead of just one lonely teaspoonful, I always use two.
I’ve tweaked the flour too, since I’ve upped the butter/margarine in the recipe…hmmm…now I see why our oldest son just sighs whenever I’m cooking. He doesn’t deviate from a recipe, unless, he finds it needs something extra. <g>
To borrow one of my favorite lines from The Quiet Man, “And without further eloquence…” here’s the recipe.
INGREDIENTS:
2 & 3/4 cups of sifted all purpose unbleached flour (I only used Heckers)
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 sticks of butter or margarine (for optimum softness, I use one stick of unsalted butter and 1 stick of vegetable margarine)
2 eggs (I usually have large on hand)
2 teaspoons of real vanilla extract
1 cup of granulated sugar (*for low sugar version use 1/2 cup–trust me they still taste yummy with a cup of Barry’s Irish Breakfast Tea*)
DIRECTIONS:
Soften the butter and margarine in a large mixing bowl on the counter (if pressed for time, and who isn’t, soften the butter in the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds or until soft but not melted).
Add the cup of sugar and mix well. Add the two eggs and beat with a wooden spoon (happens to be my favorite). Mix in the 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, sift the 2 & 3/4 cups of flour (I add a bit more for texture since I’ve upped the butter), the baking powder and the salt.
Slowly add to the butter/margarine mixture and stir until combined. The dough will be a bit on the stiff side and that’s fine. Smoosh into a ball against the side of the bowl and scoop into a regular (not zipper type) plastic food storage bag. Smoosh the ball against the bag so there are no air pockets around it, twist the bag and tuck it underneath and store in the fridge from 2 hours to up to 3 days.
To Bake:
Generously flour your board (I use the marble one Mom gave me years ago) and break off one third of the stiff dough. Flatten it and then use a floured rolling pin (I use a marble one) keeping an eye on the thickness. Too thin and they burn, too thick and it takes longer to bake and you may end up with the bottoms of your cookies too brown–sadness in my book.
Place on two cookies sheets and bake in a 350 degree oven for 4 to 5 minutes. Switch the trays (top to bottom, bottom to top and be sure to turn the tray so the front faces the back) IMHO you get a more even bake this way. Bake for another 4 to 5 minutes. If they look too pale–and be sure to check the bottom of one of the cookies–leave them in for another minute or so.
Cool on wire racks.
To frost or not to frost…ah the answer is surprisingly a question. Just how hungry are you?
If you simply must have frosting on your cookies, which at Christmas is a must in our house, here’s my Grandma Purcell’s recipe.
1 box of confectioner’s sugar, a stick of butter and milk.
Yep…that’s it. It took some experimenting over the years, especially since I always bought confectioner’s sugar in a bag! Sooo, here’s my version of Grandma’s recipe:
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound of sifted confectioner’s sugar (approximately 3 & 1/2 cups according to our oldest son who likes to measure)
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/3 cup of softened unsalted butter (or in a pinch margarine)
1/4 cup of milk (or strong coffee for variation)
2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract (or your favorite flavor)
Too much milk and you end up adding more sugar which can be toooo sweet. Yes there is such a thing. Too little and you can always add more.
Mix until quite smooth and fluffy. Ice the cooled sugar cookies and decorate to your heart’s desire. If the teapot is whistling…I’m good with un-iced cookies <g>
Back to adding the last minute touches to Tempering the Viscount’s Envy…it’s due tomorrow!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
C.H.
