Tag: cookies

“Perfect” Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies

Something “Old”

I had a lot of fun practicing my (amateur) cookie decorating skills this week. February is my husband’s birthday, Valentine’s Day, and our anniversary. Lots of reasons to celebrate with love-themed goodies!

I always make sugar cookies for Valentine’s Day and these Perfect Sugar Cookies with Red Hot Glaze are my sweetheart’s favorites. The cookies have a great balanced sweetness and wonderful texture – not too heavy, but strong enough to stand up to the glaze. And the icing starts with melted Red Hot candies – what’s not to love?!

Something New

I recently took a cookie decorating class from Markie of Honey & Heart Cookie Co. I’m no stranger to icing cookies and Markie gave us so much praise and encouragement that I felt totally comfortable trying her recipes for cookies and icing all by myself.

Oy.

Markie is a master. I’m not even really an apprentice!

But my cookies were still delicious and I’ll keep practicing those techniques because it was super fun. I’ve also signed up for another class with Markie at The Art House in Gilbert, AZ. If you’re in the area, I highly recommend The Art House and the cookie decorating classes.

Perfect Sugar Cookies

Perfect sweetness and wonderful, tender texture, these Perfect Sugar Cookies are great for icing or buttercream.
Prep Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time 9 minutes
Course Cookies & Bars
Cuisine Universal
Servings 2 Dozen

Ingredients
  

  • 1 C. butter softened
  • 1 C. granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs room temperature
  • 4 Tbsp. milk
  • 1 ½ tsp. vanilla
  • 3 ½ C. all-purpose flour

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl, beat butter for 1 – 2 minutes until color lightens slightly.
  • Add sugar and beat until creamy.
  • Add eggs, milk, and vanilla and beat at medium speed until combined.
  • At low speed on the mixer, add flour one half cup at a time just until combined after each addition. Repeat until dough comes together and sides of the mixing bowl are clean. You may not need to add all of the flour.
  • Divide dough into two balls and roll each ball out between two sheets of parchment or waxed paper to about ½-inch and no thinner than ¼-inch. Place rolled dough still between parchment sheets on a baking sheet and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 300°F.
  • Once chilled, remove one sheet of dough at a time from the fridge. Remove top layer of parchment or waxed paper, and cut dough with floured cookie cutters. Place cut cookies 2-inches apart on parchment-lined cookies sheets.
  • Bake cookies in a 300ºF oven for 8 – 10 minutes.

Notes

  • May add food coloring along with flour, if desired.
Keyword baked goods, cookies, cutout cookies, sugar cookies

Super Easy Cinnamon Pie Crust Cookies

Family Favorite

Cinnamon Pie Crust Cookies are one of my favorite “cookies”. A simple but amazingly addictive treat, Pie Crust Cookies are a great way to use up leftover pie crust dough. The pies themselves are mostly, “meh”, for me (I know how crazy that sounds to many of you), but pie crust! Now that can be turned into something delicious. Add a cup of hot cocoa or herbal tea and I’m a happy girl!

I’ve never been a huge fan of cooked fruit pies. While there is definitely a time and place for a great apple pie, most cooked fruit makes me kind of sad. So mushy.

Dreaming of Pie

I do enjoy making pies, though. Especially holiday pies. I love most cream pies and pecan pie is one of my all time favorites. When I was a little girl, I once told my Aunt Shirley I would not go to sleep until she made me a Chocolate Cream Pie. It was already past my bedtime but she did it! Aunts are the best.

But let’s get back to pie crust and these simple delights. While store-bought pie crust makes these delicious cinnamon cookies even easier, making the dough from scratch is easy and takes these cookies to the next level. I’ve included my favorite, simple pie crust recipe here, but feel free to use your tried-and-true recipe.

Making Pie Crust Cookies Your Own

These cookies are easily modified and adapted to suit your family’s palate. Once baked and cooled a bit, I sometimes drizzle a simple vanilla glaze on top. The icing adds that extra bit of yum. It’s also fun to use cookie cutters to cut the cookies into shapes before baking. I have a friend who, instead of cinnamon, dusts hers with a bit of sugar and cocoa and some mini chocolate chips. And, if you’re into cooked fruit, you can definitely sprinkle some diced fruit on top before baking. So many fun possibilities!

Do you guys make something like this? What’s your family’s version?

Pie Crust Cookies

A simple but amazingly addictive cinnamon treat, Pie Crust Cookies are a great way to use up leftover pie crust dough.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Course Cookies & Bars
Cuisine Universal
Servings 1 crust

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon or to taste
  • 1 C all purpose flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar optional
  • C shortening, butter, or lard
  • ½ Tbsp vinegar optional
  • 2 – 4 Tbsp ice water
  • ¼ C butter softened (not melted)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400°. In a small bowl or jar with a shaker lid, mix together the 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon; set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, or the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar, if using.
  • Cut or pulse in ⅓ cup shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  • If using, sprinkle mixture with vinegar and mix lightly or pulse once or twice. Continue with ice water in the same manner, 1 tablespoonful at a time, until dough is just moist enough to form a ball when lightly pressed together.
  • Working the dough as little as possible, shape into a ball and flatten to ½-inch thickness, rounding and smoothing edges as you go.
  • Place dough ball between two sheets of parchment or waxed paper and roll from center out toward edges until desired thickness is reached. Remove top sheet of parchment or waxed paper and move dough with bottom sheet of parchment to a cookie sheet or baking stone.
  • Using a pastry brush, spread ¼ cup softened butter over prepared pie crust. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Using a pizza cutter, cut dough into roughly 2" x 3" rectangles. Separate slightly or leave cookies close together, as desired.
  • Bake at 400° for about 10 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned. Allow to cool slightly before eating, but these are delicious warm!
Keyword baked goods, cinnamon, cookies, pie, pie crust