Sugar Cookies

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 Tbsp. milk
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. lemon extract (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F.  Either spray two cookie sheets with non-stick cooking spray (preferably one made for baking that has flour in it) or cover each sheet with parchment.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the egg, egg yolk, milk and extracts and mix well.  Add the baking powder and flour a bit each time, incorporating it into the dough well after each addition.
3. Lightly flour a board to roll out your dough on.  Divide dough in quarters and roll out out one quarter, remembering to lightly flour your rolling pin too.  Roll to a 1/4″ to 1/3″ thickness and cut with your favorite cookie cutters.* Place on prepared baking sheets.
4. Bake for approximately 14 minutes.  At that point that should be still be pale, with perhaps a bit of brown starting.  That’s when to take them out if you want them to have tender centers.  Cool.  If there is remaining dough, repeat steps 3 and 4.

Sugar Baby Frosting

• 1 (32 oz.) package confectioners’ sugar
• 1/3 cup evaporated milk (you can use skimmed)
• 1/3 cup white corn syrup
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla
• 1/3 cup boiling water

1. Combine milk, syrup and vanilla in a bowl.  Add boiling water and then blend together with an electric mixer.
2. Add confectioners’ sugar and continue mixing until smooth.  The frosting for the sugar cookies is similar to a glaze consistency.  Add and blend food coloring if using.
3. To glaze.  Pick up a cook and dip on side fully into the glaze.  Remove, letting excess drip off.  Set on wire rack to harden. (this does get a bit messy…but so worth it!).

*Because of the addition of 2 egg yolks and the whites from 1 egg these may puff up ever so slightly when baking.  So you may not want to use a cookie cutter with delicate shaping to it.

• 1 1/2 cups flour

• 1/2 tsp. baking power
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2/3 cup natural no-stir peanut butter, smooth or crunchy
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup turbinado sugar, optional*
• 1/3 cup packed, golden brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1 King Size Butterfinger candy bar, chopped

1. Position 1 oven rack in the top third of the oven and the other rack in the bottom third of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. Using electric beaters or a stand mixer, beat together peanut butter, butter, 1/3 cup sugar and the brown sugar in a large bowl until smooth.  Add egg and vanilla, then flour and baking power and salt.  Beat until combined.  Stir in chocolate chips and chopped Butterfinger candy.
4. If using the turbinado sugar, place sugar in a small bowl.  Using 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie, roll dough between palms to form balls.  Roll balls in sugar and place on prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart.  Using bottom of glass, press cookies into 1/3″ thick rounds.
5. Bake cookies until edges are golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes, reversing sheets halfway through cooking time for even baking.  Cool on wire rack.

*You can use regular, granulated sugar instead turbinado – the effect just won’t be as pronounced.

Makes about 25 (4 to 4 1/2 inch) cookies

• 3 cups all-purpose white flour
• scant 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 2/3 cups (1 stick plus 2 2/3 Tbsp.) unsalted butter, slightly softened
• 1/2 cup white vegetable shortening
• 2 large eggs
• 2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 tsp. light corn syrup
• scant 3/4 tsp. lemon extract
• 1/3 cup sour cream

• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 5 cups powdered sugar, sifted, plus more if needed
• 3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

For the Cookies:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare several baking sheets (grease or spray with nonstick cooking spray.  Or use parchment paper).
2. In a medium bowl, thoroughly stir together the flour, salt, and baking soda; set aside.  In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the sugar, butter, and shortening until well blended and fluffy, about 2 minutes.   Add the eggs, vanilla, corn syrup, and lemon extract and beat until evenly incorporated.  Beat in half of the flour mixture until evenly incorporated.  On low speed, beat in the sour cream.  Beat or stir in the remaining flour mixture, just until well blended and smooth.  Let the dough stand to firm up for about 5 minutes.
3. Using a scant 1/4 cup of dough per cookie (I just eyeball it), shape into balls with lightly greased hands.  Place on the baking sheets, spacing about 3 1/2″ apart.  Using your hand, press and pat the balls to about 3 1/4′ in diameter.
4. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time*, in  the middle of the even for 10 to 14 minutes, or until lightly browned at the edges and the tops just spring back when lightly pressed in the centers.  Reverse the sheet from front to back halfway through baking to ensure even baking.  Transfer the sheet to a wire rack and let stand until the cookies firm up slightly, 1 to 2 minutes.  Using a spatula, transfer the cookies to wire racks. Let stand until completely cooled.

For the Glazes:

1. In a medium, heavy saucepan, bring 1/2 cup water and the corn syrup just to a boil over medium-high heat.  Remove from the heat and stir in the powdered sugar and vanilla until completely smooth.  Place the chocolate in a small, deep bowl.   Pour 2/3 cup of the hot vanilla fondant over the chocolate.  Stir until the chocolate is partially melted.  Pour another 1/2 cup of the vanilla fondant over the chocolate.  Stirring constantly, thin the chocolate fondant to a fluid but not runny consistency by adding 3 to 4 tsp. of hot water, a little at a time.  Stir until the chocolate melts completely and the water is thoroughly incorporated.
2. Set the wire racks with the cookies over wax paper to catch drips.  Using a spreader or table knife, immediately cover each half of the cookie with the vanilla glaze.  You may need to adjust the consistency of the vanilla glaze by stirring in additional powdered sugar or hot water until fluid but not runny. (If the glaze stiffens as you work, thin it by thoroughly stirring in a few drops of hot water.  If the glaze cools completely, reheat it over low heat, stirring.)
3. Frost the other half of the cookie with the chocolate glaze.  Once again, if the glaze stiffens as you work, thin it by thoroughly stirring in a few drops of hot water.  If the glaze cools completely, reheat it over low heat, stirring.  Let the cookies stand until the icing sets, at least 2 hours and preferably 4 hours.
4. Store cookies in a single layer or layered between wax paper in an airtight container.  They can also be frozen.

* I ignored this and baked two sheets at a time with no problem.  Nor did I reverse the sheets halfway through baking.

Sophisticated Nut Cookies (adapted from Taste of Home, Oct/Nov 2010)

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup almond pasta
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 2/3 cup flour
• 1 cup (6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips*
• 1/2 cup pistachios, finely chopped and toasted

1. In a medium bowl, cream the butter, sugar and almond paste until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg yolk.  Gradually add flour and mix well.  Shape into a ball, then flatten into a disk.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour or until easy to handle (it will be sticky unless refrigerated).
2. Divide dough into eight equal portions; divide each portion in half.  On a lightly floured surface, roll each half into a 12″ rope; cut each rope into 2″ lengths.  Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 F 6 – 8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.  Remove to wire wracks to cool completely.
3. In a microwave, melt chocolate chips; stir until smooth.  Dip ends of each cookie in chocolate, then in pistachios.  Let stand on waxed paper until set.  Store in an airtight container.

*I used Callebaut semi-sweet chocolate, but chocolate chips work beautifully too.  If you find the melted chips a bit too thick to work with, just add 1 tsp. of vegetable oil.

Chocolate Chip Malted Cookies

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 ¼ cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup malted milk powder
• 2 T. chocolate syrup
• 1 T. vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• 2 cups semi sweet or dark chocolate chunks
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a mixing bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, malted milk powder and chocolate syrup and mix until well combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add the egg and mix until incorporated.

Add the first cup of flour and mix until incorporated.  Then add the remaining cup of flour, baking soda and salt and mix until fully incorporated.  Finally, add the chocolate chunks and chips and mix until incorporated. *

Shape into 1 ½ inch balls; place 12 on a baking sheet that is either sprayed with non-stick spray or has a sheet of parchment on it.  If you like your cookies more on the soft and chewy side** start checking after 9 minutes.  For crisper cookies** – cook until golden brown, about 9-13 minutes.  Cool for 3 minutes before removing to wire rack.  Makes about 3 dozen scrumptious cookies.

*I always refrigerate my cookie dough overnight, otherwise I find that they spread too much for my liking if baked immediately after the dough is made.  I simply divide the batter into thirds, tear out 3 sheet of plastic wrap and with one dough portion make a 1 ½ inch thick log of the cookie dough on one of the sheets.  Then I wrap it and repeat with the remaining two portions.  The dough is easy to cut into 12 pieces the next day.  Place the cut pieces on the cookie sheet and you are good to go.  Cooking time for these cookies will be a few minutes longer since the dough is chilled.

** Most ovens are not perfectly calibrated (including mine) and may cook something a bit faster or slower than listed times.  For the first time making these, no matter how you like them done, I recommend to start checking them after 9 minutes.

BTW – I found the cute little mailbox (in red or light purple) at Michaels (the craft store).  I’m going to fill them with goodies and give them to my neighbors’ children for Valentines Day.