Chewy Large Sugar Cookies

 

 

2 ¼ c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

1 ½ c. sugar (plus 1/3 c. for rolling)

2 oz. cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces

6 Tbsp. melted butter, still warm

1/3 c. vegetable oil or melted coconut oil

1 large egg

1 Tbsp. milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl and set aside. Place cream cheese and 1 ½ cups sugar in a mixer and mix in melted butter. Mix in oil. Mix in egg, milk and vanilla until smooth. Gently fold in flour mixture until soft, homogenous dough forms.

Place remaining 1/3 c. sugar in a bowl and roll dough balls of 2 tablespoons into the sugar until fully coated. Place 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Using the bottom of a measuring cup, press the cookies flat (dipping in sugar also may help it not stick to the cookies). Bake cookies for 11-13 minutes. Let cookies cool on pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack. Let cookies cool completely before serving. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

For fun, substitute colored sugar for the 1/3 cup sugar for rolling.  

Easy Spritz Cookies

Cream in a mixer:

1 c. butter, softened

1 1/4 c. powdered sugar

Add and beat in:

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. almond extract

Combine together and then add:

2 1/2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

Dough should be sticky. Load up the cookie press with dough. Press out cookies onto ungreased bare cookie sheet (I know, I know, I am a firm believer in the *gospel* of parchment paper, but unless you want to sharpen up on your sailor language, please just press them out on a bare pan--it hurts, I know, but it is by far easier than trying to press them out on to the parchment. Trust me!!). Bake for 6-8 minutes, depending on how dense the cookies are (solid shapes, closer to 8 and delicate thin wreaths, more like 6-7). Bake in a 375 degree oven. Do not brown. 

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

These are pretty good. I am not a super big chocolate fan, but these are pretty darn good.

1 c. flour

1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 c. unsalted butter (or salted butter and omit the above salt)

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 egg, room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. mini chocolate chips

For rolling:

3 Tbsp. sugar

1 c. powdered sugar

Whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together in a bowl and set aside. Beat butter and sugars on medium  until fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in egg and vanilla. Slowly mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients; then mix in chips.  Cover dough and refrigerate 2 hours (up to 3 days). Always chill the dough. Remove from fridge and let sit 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough into 1 1/2 tablespoon-sized balls and roll lightly in sugar; roll generously in powdered sugar. Place 3 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake 11-12 minutes. If they don't spread by 9 minutes, remove from oven and bang on the counter and return to the oven. Cool cookies 5 minutes on the pan and then transfer to a cooling rack. This makes about 3 dozen.

 

Lace Cookies

These are simple and delicate cookies that taste a lot like brittle or candy! Yum! They happen to be gluten-free, too, in case that is important.

1/2 cup (1 cube) unsalted butter (or salted butter and omit the 1/8 tsp. salt below)

2/3 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup almond flour (you can buy this pre-ground or grind up almonds in small batches in a blender)

1/8 tsp. salt (omit if using salted butter)

1 Tbsp. corn syrup

1 tsp. vanilla

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When melted, add brown sugar, almond flour, salt and corn syrup. Whisk until all ingredients are dissolved and completely combined--about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Stir to combine. Let mixture cool 5-10 minutes--you can preheat the oven to 350 degrees while you wait for it to cool. Drop onto parchment lined baking sheets THREE inches apart by scant teaspoonfuls. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes (6 minutes may make chewy cookies while closer to 8 minutes makes them more crispy--ovens vary). Cookies should be golden on the edges. Cool 5 minutes on the pan and then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Can be made into sandwich cookies with chocolate or Nutella. Store up to a week in airtight container at room temperature.