Annettes Basic Sugar Cookies Recipes

Steps:

• In a medium mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.
• Beat in the egg and vanilla.
• In a small bowl, sift together the flour, salt and baking powder.
• Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture; mix well.
• Divide dough in half.
• Flatten halves into discs.
• Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze 20 minutes or longer.
• Remove from freezer and let stand 5 - 10 minutes.
• Place one disk on a lightly floured surface, roll 1/8 inch thick.
• Cut with your favorite cookie cutter shapes.
• Place on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet.
• Bake at 325F for 12-14 minutes.
• Allow to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet and then remove to cookie racks.
• In a small bowl, stir together the powdered sugar and lemon juice, adding only enough glaze to form a slow sticky stream when you dip into the glaze and let it flow back into the bowl.
• Spread glaze over top of each cookie. Enjoy!

Steps:

• In large bowl, beat softened butter and granulated sugar with spoon until well mixed. Stir in flour until moistened, using hands to mix if needed (dough will be crumbly). Knead 5 to 10 times or until dough is smooth.
• Divide dough in half; shape each half into a log, 5 inches long by 2 inches in diameter.
• Spread 2 tablespoons of the nonpareils or decorating sugar on plastic wrap; roll one log in nonpareils to cover. Repeat to cover remaining cookie log in nonpareils. Wrap dough logs tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate about 1 hour 30 minutes or until firm.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Unwrap 1 of the dough logs; cut into 1/2-inch slices. On ungreased cookie sheet, place slices 2 inches apart, reshaping if necessary.
• Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until edges are set. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Unwrap remaining dough log, and repeat slicing and baking. Cool completely, about 40 minutes.
• To make Powdered Sugar Icing Drizzle: In small bowl, mix powdered sugar and 2 teaspoons of the milk until well blended. If too thick to drizzle, add additional milk, 1/4 teaspoon at a time. Tint with food color. Drizzle over tops of cooled cookies. Sprinkle with nonpareils or decorating sugar. Let stand about 1 hour or until drizzle is set.

Steps:

• In large bowl, beat 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, the softened butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, the almond extract and egg with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon, until well blended. Stir in flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Divide dough in half; shape dough into 2 disks, and wrap in plastic wrap. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
• Heat oven to 375°F.
• Roll each disk on lightly floured surface until 1/4 inch thick. Cut with 2- to 2 1/2-inch cookie cutters into desired shapes. On ungreased cookie sheets, place cutouts at least 2 inches apart.
• Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until edges are light brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely.
• In medium bowl, beat 3 cups powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla with spoon until smooth and spreadable. If frosting is too stiff to spread, add additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time. Tint with food color. Spread frosting on cooled cookies. Decorate as desired with colored sugar or candy sprinkles. Let stand about 4 hours or until frosting is set. Store covered in airtight container at room temperature with waxed paper between layers.

Steps:

• In large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; beat until combined. Divide dough in half; flatten into disks. Wrap each in plastic; freeze until firm, at least 20 minutes, or place in a resealable plastic bag, and freeze up to 3 months (thaw in refrigerator overnight).
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment. Remove one dough disk; let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Roll out 1/8 inch thick between two sheets of floured parchment, dusting dough with flour as needed. Cut shapes with cookie cutters. Using a spatula, transfer to prepared baking sheets. (If dough gets soft, chill 10 minutes.) Reroll scraps; cut shapes. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Bake, rotating halfway through, until edges are golden, 10 to 18 minutes (depending on size). Cool completely on wire racks. To ice cookies, spread with the back of a spoon. Let the icing harden, about 20 minutes. Decorate as desired.
• For the icing, sift confectioners' sugar into a small bowl. Whisk in milk, water, or lemon juice, 1 tablespoon at a time, until smooth and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If too thin, whisk in more sugar; if too thick, add more liquid. Spread over cookies with back of a spoon. Add other decorations, if desired. Let the icing harden, about 20 minutes.

Steps:

• Mix self-rising flour, butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and salt thoroughly in a bowl; beat at least 5 minutes. Refrigerate dough at least 2 hours to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
• Roll dough out on a floured work surface using a lightly floured rolling pin; cut cookies out with cutters. Place cookies onto baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cookie bottoms are lightly golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Steps:

• 1. Cream shortening and butter (if using) until smooth.
• 2. Add half the powdered sugar.
• 3. Add half the milk and mix. Repeat until all of the powdered sugar is mixed in.
• 4. Add almond (vanilla if using) extract. Beat until well mixed and creamy.
• 5. The frosting is spreadable or easily piped. Enjoy!

Steps:

• Sift the cake flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl; set aside. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla; beat until incorporated. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour mixture in 2 batches until just incorporated. Divide between 2 pieces of plastic wrap; shape into disks. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out the dough on a floured surface until about inch thick. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters; arrange 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. (If the dough becomes soft, refrigerate until firm.) Refrigerate the cookies 30 minutes. Gather the scraps and refrigerate until firm; reroll and cut out more cookies.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are slightly puffed and just golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then remove to racks to cool completely before icing.
• Basic Royal Icing
• Whisk one 1-pound box confectioners' sugar and 2 tablespoons meringue powder in a large bowl. Add 5 tablespoons water and beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until soft glossy peaks form, adding up to 1 more tablespoon water if necessary. If not using the icing right away, cover the bowl with a damp paper towel and plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. (Makes about 2 1/4 cups.)
• Decorating Instructions:
• Striped:Spread royal icing on the cookie using a small offset spatula. Let set slightly, then dip a wooden skewer in tinted icing to draw stripes.
• Pearled: Spread royal icing on the cookie using a small offset spatula. Let set slightly, then place sugar pearls around the edges.
• Windowpane: Spread tinted royal icing on the cookie using a small offset spatula. Let set slightly, then dip a wooden skewer in white icing to draw crisscross lines.
• Ombre: Tint half of the royal icing, then mix one-third of the tinted icing with one-third of the white icing. Spread the 3 shades on the cookie from dark to light, blending the sections.
• Floral: Spread royal icing on the cookie using a small offset spatula. Dip a wooden skewer in different colors of tinted icing to draw dots for flowers. Photograph by Jeff Harris/Studio D

Steps:

• Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Combine cake mix, butter, egg, vanilla, and almond extract in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the mixture comes together into a sticky ball, 30 to 45 seconds.
• Roll the dough to 1/4- to 1/2-inch thickness on a lightly floured board with a lightly floured rolling pin. Use cookie cutters to stamp out shapes and place them 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. (You can reroll the dough scraps once and cut out more cookies.) Brush the cookies with egg white and decorate with sprinkles.
• Place one pan in the oven at a time. Bake until the edges of the cookies are golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes for smaller cookies and 10 to 12 minutes for larger. Let the cookies rest on the cookie sheet for 1 minute, then remove to wire racks with a metal spatula to cool completely, about 20 minutes.

Steps:

• Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl, and whisk to combine. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until well combined, scraping the bowl as needed.
• Add flour mixture and beat on low speed just until combined. Scrape the bowl and fold a few times to make sure everything is well combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, flatten into a disk, and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough 1/4-inch thick. Use 3-inch floured cutters to cut out cookies, and transfer to two parchment- or silicone mat-lined baking sheets, spacing the cookies about 1 1/2 inches apart. Reroll scraps as needed, chilling as needed until firm before rolling and cutting again. Freeze until very firm, about 10 minutes.
• Bake until golden brown at the edges, 12 to 14 minutes.
• Let cool a few minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, or frozen up to 3 months.

Steps:

• Beat butter until fluffy, beat in sugar in 3 additions.
• Beat in egg and vanilla.
• In separate bowl mix flour, baking powder and salt; beat into butter mixture in 3 additions.
• Divide dough in 2 equal portions and shape into discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• On lightly floured surface roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness, cut into shapes.
• Place cookies 1 inch apart on baking sheets, greased or lined with parchment paper (I spray mine with PAM).
• Bake until light golden for about 10 minutes. Depending on your oven you may have to turn pans halfway through.
• Mix cookie glaze ingredients until preferred consistency and have fun decorating!