Vanilla Sugar Cookies Recipes

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, salt, baking soda and cream of tartar. Gradually beat into creamed mixture. Refrigerate, covered, for 30 minutes., Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with floured 2-1/2-in. cookie cutters. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes. Cool on wire racks. , For frosting, beat confectioners' sugar, butter, vanilla and enough milk to reach desired consistency. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring. Cut a small hole in the tip of a pastry bag or in a corner of a food-safe plastic bag; transfer frosting to bag. Pipe decorations. Sprinkle with colored sugar. Freeze option: Freeze undecorated cookies, layered between waxed paper, in freezer containers. To use, thaw and decorate as desired.

Steps:

• Pour the sugar into an airtight container. If the vanilla bean is whole, slice it halfway through the long way, open up the bean, and use a spoon or kitchen knife to scrape out the black gooey specks. Stir the specks into the sugar, and bury the bean pod in the sugar. Cover the jar and let stand for at least 1 week.

Steps:

• Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
• Beat butter and sugar until fluffy.
• Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down bowl each time, then add vanilla.
• Add flour mixture and mix at low speed until dough just comes together.
• Knead a couple of times just until smooth, then pat into a flat disk, wrap in plastic and chill until firm enough to roll.
• Roll and cut as desired and place on parchment-lined sheets.
• Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat sugars and vanilla seeds with a mixer on medium speed for 1 minute. Add butter; beat until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; beat until well combined.
• Using a 2-inch ice cream scoop (3 tablespoons), drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing2 inches apart (no more than 4 cookies per sheet).
• Flatten cookies slightly using the palm of your hand; sprinkle with sanding sugar. Lightly brush tops of cookies with water using a pastry brush. Sprinkle with sanding sugar again.
• Bake until light golden brown, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks, and let cool for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks, and let cool completely.