Sugar cookies can be whatever flavor you want them to be, from vanilla to creamsicle to anything in between. Last week I baked these almond sugar cookies for my goddaughters, Mo and Margo, as their back-to-school treat. It’s a very simple recipe that needs very little to dress it up, if anything. I went with sanding sugar, but you could frost them too if you wanted.
I’d like to experiment with a lemon version (too bad I don’t have a lemon-shaped cookie cutter, hmm), an orange version similar to the creamsicle but with less vanilla, and a chocolate/peppermint for the holidays. Stay tuned.
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 teaspoons almond extract
- Sanding sugar, if desired
Preparation
Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and beat well. Add vanilla and about half the flour mixture, beating until combined; beat in remaining flour.
Note: if your dough is too crumbly, you can add just a bit of water or another ¼ teaspoon of vanilla.
Divide dough in half and knead each just slightly until dough sticks together. Form each half into a disc and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until just barely firm, about 20-30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pour sanding sugar onto a plate or into a shallow bowl and set aside. Line several baking sheets with foil or parchment paper.
Roll dough to 1/8 inch thickness and cut into desired shapes; I used a fluted cutter for these, but they didn’t keep their shape as well. Press the top of each cookie into the sanding sugar to coat completely; place on baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, until just golden. Remove from oven and cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack. Makes about 3 dozen, depending on the size of your cutter.
amy bakes in the 'burgh 