Cookies, Cookies, Cookies! Who wants a cookie?
It is such fun baking and decorating holiday cookies and even more fun serving them!
When I'm not serving up luscious cupcakes or a scrumptious moist cake, I am plating up some yummy cookies to serve my guest. A cookie is the perfect end to a heavy meal. No one can turn down a cookie!
Parker, my grandson loves making cookies for Thanksgiving. It has become a holiday tradition for us. We have, however changed one thing on our yearly cookie baking day...We no longer bake "Thanksgiving Elephants" like we did the first Thanksgiving we started this tradition. Parker was three years old and insisted on elephants instead of turkeys. He has since changed his mind and now we are a bit more traditional.
This is one of my old stand-by recipes I created many years ago. It will appear in one of my "Home in the Big Back Yard" children's books, but until then, I'm sharing the recipe!
The Best Sugar Cookie Ever! (At least that is what my grandson says!)
Ingredients:
* 1 Cup soft butter
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 large egg
* 1/4 tsp. salt (opt.)
* 2 cups flour
* 1 Tbsp. Almond Extract
Here's what you do!
* Heat oven to 325 degrees
* Beat together butter, sugar, egg, almond extract and salt. Add flour gradually and beat till well blended. Refrigerate in a large plastic bag at least an hour. (I have even left them overnight and made them the next day) Roll out dough to 1/4 thickness and cut with your favorite cookie cutter. Bake 12 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Recipe makes about 18 large cookies. Make sure the cookies are completely cool before icing.
The Best Tasting, melt in your mouth icing Ever! The one for Kids helping in the kitchen!
Ingredients:
* 1 Cup sifted confectioners sugar
* 1 tsp. almond extract
* Gel color (if you want something other than white)
* water enough added slowly to make the icing a thick pasty glue consistency. (Usually 5 or 6 tablespoons.)
Here's what you do!
Dip or pipe icing onto cookies. (I dip) This icing sets up hard in about an hour and is absolutely the best tasting, but this icing is not good for detail work on cookies. I use it when I want to just add color or sprinkles to my cookies.
For long lasting detail work, I use the:
Stiff decorator's icing (royal) Icing recipe.
Ingredients:
* 3 tablespoons 4 oz. Meringue Powder (kid safe, no egg whites)
* 4 cups (about 1 lb.) confectioners' sugar
* 4 or 5 tablespoons warm water (less for stiffer consistency) I add may water gradually until it becomes the consistency I want)
* Gel color of your choice
Here's what you do!
* Beat all the ingredients together until icing forms peaks. This may take 7 to 10 minutes with an electric mixer.
* Store in airtight container for up to two weeks