Last night the kids had a movie night to go to. They were very, very excited to go, and their instructions were to bring a snack and a drink. Popcorn was going to be provided, and someone else was bringing ice cream, so I asked the kids what it was they wanted to bring. We immediately thought that we should bring a snack to share with the group, and the kids said they wanted to take cookies. When I asked what kind, they thought for a minute and then said Oreo’s. Where I had been expecting them to choose I kind I make, they chose Oreo’s, and at first, I agreed with their decision. The idea of just walking into the store and picking up a package or two of cookies had it’s appeal, of course.
And then it was late afternoon yesterday, I was thinking about running to pick up their cookies, when I began really thinking on this idea of buying cookies. I have nothing against the occasional Oreo cookie (although one of these days I’m going to try making my own), but I’ve been trying really hard these last few weeks to make the conscious decision to keep my family eating whole foods- real food without preservatives. If I buy the Oreo’s, aren’t I going against the very thing I confess to adhere to? Our lapse into the world of processed food during moving season has not been kind to us- the kids thrilled with all the pizza, potato chips, soda, and packaged cookies that moved through the house. By golly, I wasn’t going to give in!
I pulled out two sticks of butter to soften, and just a short while later I had sugar cookie cut-out dough together in a bowl. The recipe I always use indicates that it needs a chill time, and I’ve always done that, but yesterday, time was an issue, and I decided to try it without the requisite chill. I had to use a little more flour than normal to keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin, but otherwise- the cookies baked up just as delicious and crispy, and the kids were beyond excited to take homemade sugar cookies for their snack.
The best part about those cookies? Yes, they were a vehicle for sugar, but they were also delicious, AND I could identify every single ingredient in them. Butter, sugar, flour, baking soda, vanilla, salt, and 1 egg. There was nothing weird, no preservatives, and I could feel good about knowing that my kids were indulging in a real food- not something out of a package loaded with chemicals to enhance crunch and shelf-life.
I often get asked about the frosting I make to smear on my cookies. It’s the same frosting I make to smear on cakes- and it’s the same frosting I grew up watching my mom make. Honestly and truly, no recipe is required. In this particular case, I started with 4 tablespoons of softened butter and added 3-4 cups of powdered sugar. I then added in 1 teaspoon of vanilla, a pinch of salt, and a drizzle of milk. If you want a measurement for the milk, start with 2 tablespoons. Use a hand mixer to blend them all together. The moisture content of the butter is never the same twice, so sometimes you need to add more milk to get the frosting to the consistency you like. Sometimes it’s too runny, so you need to add more powdered sugar. You’ll know once you get going with that hand mixer. Coincidentally, if you just want a glaze- leave out the butter. Powdered sugar, milk and vanilla make a decent glaze for a quick pound cake or bundt cake. If you want chocolate frosting, add 2 tablespoons of cocoa with the powdered sugar. This frosting is your blank canvas to do what you like. I’ve added melted white chocolate, coffee, and caramel to my frosting to flavor it as well. For cream cheese frosting, use half cream cheese and half butter- and if you’re frosting a whole cake, I suggest starting with a whole stick of butter anyways, instead of the half I use for cookies.
I’ve shared this cookie recipe before- it is our favorite sugar cookie, hands down.
Rich Rolled Sugar Cookies
adapted from Joy of Cooking
2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
Beat the butter on sugar on medium speed until fluffy and well blended. Add the egg, baking soda, salt, and vanilla and beat until well combined. Add the flour. Stir until blended and smooth.
Divide the dough in half, roll into a ball, and flatten somewhat. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
After chilling, roll out the cookie dough to about a 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured counter or cutting board. Cut out cookies and carefully transfer to an ungreased cookie sheet. Re-roll the cookie dough as many times as necessary to use up the dough, chilling when not using.
Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or to desired doneness (as brown around the edges as you’d like them). Remove the cookie sheet from the oven, let sit for about 30 seconds before removing the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
If desired, you can sprinkle the cookies with colored sugars or sprinkles before baking. Otherwise ice and decorate after completely cooling. Makes about 4-dozen cookies.