crispy sugar cookies

If you haven't spent the holidays with Full Circle Foodie before, I'd like to extend a warm welcome. This is my fourth year in a row executing my "Baked with Love" project where I bake a variety of cookies and candies and then package them up all pretty to give, with love, to coworkers, friends and family. 

Each year, I incorporate tried and true traditions as well as new recipes that I am equally excited about. Grab some hot cocoa and enjoy your stay as my 2011 Box of Love unfolds before your eyes! 


Earlier this year Zach delivered some shocking news: he disliked my sugar cookie recipe. ::gasp!:: Every time I would make my beloved iced sugar cookies he would turn up his nose and say they weren't right. Instead of dwelling on this potentially life shattering news, I decided to go directly to the source of the preferred cookie. I contacted his mother. In just minutes I held the very key to putting the magic back into Christmas for a certain Mister Scrooge. I had his mother's sugar cookie recipe and I wasn't afraid to use it.

These sugar cookies are of the extra sugary, extra crispy variety and they were delicious. They held their shape well enough to still be iced with royal icing, but as Zach will tell you, the correct way to decorate them is to sand them with colored sprinkles just before baking. I paired the holly leaves with red, white and green Cadburry snow balls to mimic holly berries and add a little extra chocolate to the boxes.

What you'll need:

1. Red Candies for Holly Berries, 2. Rolling Pin, 3. Colored Sanding Sugar, 4. Cookie Cutters

{not pictured}

Crispy Sugar Cookie Dough

Crispy Sugar Cookies

courtesy of Zach's Mom - makes 4 dozen large or 12 dozen mini cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups flour

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line baking sheets with either parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
2. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla until incorporated.
3. Sift baking powder, salt and flour together and stir into wet mixture until dough forms. Chill one hour.
4. Roll dough on lightly floured surface or between two sheets of freezer paper. Cut into desired shapes and transfer to prepared baking sheets.
5. Sprinkle with colored sugars and bake 5-8 minutes until lightly golden on edges.
6. Transfer to wire rack and allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Zach will also tell you that these are best when made with full-sized cookie cutters {a picky little elf now isn't he?}, but I just adore how the mini holiday shapes turned out for the boxes this year. I'm still partial to my original sugar cookie recipe for decorating iced cookies, but this is definitely an easy recipe for decorating and sharing that tastes great. This recipe would be great to make with kids, as they can help by decorating with colored sugars without the added mess of icing. 

These remind me of the small sugared butter cookies found in holiday tins, with a little added crisp. They were a gorgeous addition to our cookie tray and anything that puts a smile on Mister Scrooge's face is a winner in my holiday book! Enjoy. And don't forget to share! 

Check out Baked with Love of years past...