Friday, July 5, 2013

Soft Sugar Cookies

Happy 4th of July!  This is a day late but I'm sure everyone is enjoying celebrating all weekend long with picnics and pool parties.

Did I say I was taking a break from baked goods?  Ha, what a big fat LIE!  I really did try but I just can't keep myself away from baking.  I'm headed to a picnic tomorrow and needed something to bring along.  The 4th of July makes me think about a flag cake my mom and I used to make together when I was little.  It was a simple white cake baked in a 9 x 13 pan and then we decorated it with blueberries, strawberries and cool whip to make it look like an American flag.  It was fun and turned out cute but it needed to be refrigerated and also needed to be sliced.  I believe picnics require foods that can sit out all day and withstand the heat, bite sized desserts people can grab and walk back to their lounge chair and of course with small desserts so you can try more than one!!

I decided to bake cookies and I flipped through my recipe book and landed on Soft Sugar Cookies ... everyone likes them, I can decorate them red-white-and-blue, they can sit out at a picnic and they're easy to transport.  Decision made.  Oh, but the taste brought back so many memories.  I thought a recent cookie, the salted double chocolate peanut butter, were my absolute favorite until I made this oldie but goodie.  This was my favorite cookie for sooo many years and I think in my heart it still remains the favorite.  This is the cookie recipe my mom made when I was growing up...its the recipe I watched her make, eventually helped her make and then made on my own.

Oh soft sugar cookie, I love you.
You make me feel good when I am blue.
You are such a tasty little treat.
No other cookie can compete.

Heres' the recipe!  It makes 24 cookies but can be easily doubled to make 48.

1 cup sugar
1 egg
6 tablespoons margarine, softened
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups flour
colored sugar or sprinkles
1 tub of vanilla frosting


Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.  In another bowl cream sugar, eggs, margarine and vanilla.  Slowly add the dry ingredients and milk while stirring.  Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

Heat oven to 350'.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper and use a medium scoop or tablespoon to drop spoonfuls of cookies about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.  Bake cookies for 12 minutes and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then move them to cooling racks to cool completely. Frost cookies with vanilla frosting and decorate with sprinkles.

You can also top the cookies with colored sugars or sprinkles BEFORE baking them and leave off the frosting.  They're good both ways but I like the look of the frosted cookies better.







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