Posted by Valita Gal on Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Many people have been asking me for my homemade sugar cookie recipe.  
The truth is, I must give credit to Alton Brown for this delicious treat that you all just love!  

Below you may find the recipe, as well as some decorating tips that I included.  
Have fun!


Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough

Directions

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill. Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or ice as desired. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week. {Courtesy of Alton Brown}
~*~
Non-Messy Decorating Tip
If you're like me in where you enjoy baking and decorating, but likes to avoid the mess...try decorating your sugar cookies with fondant rather than icing.  It's simple and dries quick.  All you have to do is buy Wilton Pure White Rolled Fondant, 1-Pound 8-Ounce 
(made approx 25 of my ballerina cookies).  

I then dyed my fondant, by using 2 drops of AmeriColor Soft Gel Paste (similar to food dyes).  


Once my fondant is dyed, i simply rolled it out thin and cut using the same cookie cutter used to cut my sugar cookies.  I then picked up my freshly cut fondant and brushed a little water to the part of my fondant that i will be placing onto the cookie so that it can stick.  Once the cookie & fondant are in place you're practically done.  if you'd like to draw or emboss on your fondant using a tool or utensil, you may do so by simply brushing a just a little water on top to soften the fondant for easy drawing or molding and etc.  
The ways you can get creativity are endless.  
Simply place them in cello bags and add a pretty little tag to convert these treats as adorable party favors for any party!  
Enjoy! 




Cookie Cutter Tip 

Remember if you can't find the exact cookie cutter you are looking for, you can always buy one and warp it into the shape you're looking for.  
That's exactly what I had to do for my ballerina tutu cookie cutter.  

picture above:
The original cookie cutter that i purchased for tutu sugar cookies, before I warped it into my desired shape.






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