Tuesday, December 9, 2008

TWD: Grandma’s All-Occasion Sugar Cookies

Please accept my apologies for the light blogging lately. Like all of you, we are busy, busy, busy right now and blogging has sort of taken a back seat. So, sorry - I am hoping that I'll be able to get back into the swing of things after the holidays (and then after a short break for the Disney half marathon and vacation in January).


These cookies are a snap to make and are a good all-around sugar cookie. They are a little on the crisp side, but if you watch them really carefully and take them out just before they start to brown, you can have them a little crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside (which seems to be just the right texture to me). I have to admit that they don't quite measure up to my all-time favorite sugar cookie recipe though - Cream Cheese Icebox Cookies from the Joy of Cooking. These are simply outstanding - the dough is great to work with and the addition of the cream cheese just makes them taste fantastic. I also usually use the Quick White Icing II recipe from the same book and it's always a hit (watch this very carefully as it heats - don't overheat it or it'll crystallize on you). Since this was the kids' chance to get in touch with their inner artist (and taste isn't a huge factor), I went with Betty Crocker's icing bags this time.


I let the kids go to town with the frosting and sprinkles. Isn't it amazing how children have the ability to cover almost every square millimeter of the top of the cookie with stuff - that my friends, is pure kid talent. This is my three year old's creation:



For Dorie's recipe, check out the Küchenlatein blog (I think it's German, but she's got a translator function) - thanks Ulrike for choosing this week's recipe and giving my kids the opportunity to make a pretty good sized mess and get a nice sugar rush all in the span on 15 minutes :-) As usual, you can check out all the other supremely talented TWD bloggers here.

10 comments:

Cathy said...

Looks like your kiddos had a ball, Laura! There are just no cookies more fun than the ones that kids decorate! I love their "more is more" approach to life! I'll have to try that Joy of Cooking version sometime. And good luck getting through Busy Season (and with the last of the half marathon training)!

Flourchild said...

How fun! I love the pictures of your kids decorating. Sugar cookies and Christmas what can be better then that!

chocolatechic said...

I love it when kids decorate.

What fun!!!

kimberly salem said...

looks like you had a lot of fun! :) i'll have to give the joy of cooking ones a try. thanks for the link!

Steph said...

Thanks for bringing back some childhood cookie decorating memories! They look fantastic and it looks like you guys had a lot of fun!

Darius T. Williams said...

I certainly do love a good sugar cookie and these look great!

-DTW
www.everydaycookin.blogspot.com

Matt's Kitchen said...

I love the green and red angel! That would be my type of guardian angel... not pure and understated but over the top and maybe a little too loud and off-key at all of the angel sing-a-longs.

Rebecca of "Ezra Pound Cake" said...

No apology necessary! Looks like you guys had a great time.

Peggy said...

oh how I miss those times with my boys. Treasure every moment - they grow up so fast. It looks like you guys had a great time with these!

Cathy said...

Hi Laura, while of course I will miss your post today, I think you picked a good week to skip! The buttery jam cookies are just way too "meh" for this time of year, when there are a hundred other things to be doing (and cookies to be baking!) I laughed at your Facebook reference in your comment today -- yes, it really has sucked in us children of the 80s, hasn't it? Don't worry though -- the first couple of weeks were by far the worst for me! Now I am pretty much back to my real life again, and can get by with checking it just once or twice a day for 10 minutes max! So it does get better! That said, I still blame blogging and facebooking for the fact that my Christmas shopping is not done yet!