Cook's Corner: A Recipe Sharing Thread.

[Katroine]

Tis the season!
(For Hamlet and, of course, all)

Classic Cut Out Sugar Cookie
Be warned, this batch makes a TON of cookies so you can cut in half if you wish.

1 1/2 cups of butter, softened
2 cups of white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
5 cups of flour (sifted)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt.
Cover and chill dough, at least an hour (I do overnight). It can be frozen too, so you can make far ahead.

Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
Roll dough on floured surface/counter to about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into cute shapes with cookie cutter.
Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Here's the hard part. I bake for about 4 minutes, at higher altitude. Watch your first batch for time. You don't want the edges to burn. They will still look light, but not doughy.

Cool completely on cooling rack before frosting.


This is the frosting I use (it's delicious).

Frosting

2/3 cup of butter, softened
4 cups of confectioners sugar (powdered)
2 tablespoons of milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla extra

(if too thick add more milk, too thin, add more sugar)

Cream together butter, sugar, milk, and vanilla until light and fluffy (or thinner if you like it more like royal icing) and frost those cookies! I add sprinkles and the like right after I frost while still wet. If you want, you can add gel coloring to make the frosting different colors, too.

[silverfields2]

I blame Amby:

Peanut Butter Cookies

Cookies, Dessert
Servings: 20 cookies Source: Sheet Pan Suppers, Molly Gilvert, page 264
INGREDIENTS

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
DESCRIPTION

The author recommends using processed (not “natural”) peanut butter. I have no idea what that means. I used organic-no-sugar-added peanut butter.

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F with a rack in the center position. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

2. Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl.

3. Beat the butter and peanut butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, or in a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer on high speed, until smooth, about 2 minutes.

4. Add the brown sugar and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes more. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine.

5. Add the flour mixture all at once and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together. If it is very soft, refrigerate it to firm up, about 1 hour.

6. Scoop the dough into the prepared pan in 1¾ inch mounds (the author likes to use an ice cream scoop), spacing them evenly apart. Use a well-floured fork to gently press a crosshatch pattern into each cookie.

7. Bake the cookies until they have spread and browned at the edges, but are still quite soft, exactly 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool slightly on the pan before enjoying.

The cookies will keep, in an airtight container at room temperature, for about 1 week. (Alternatively, you can freeze them, tightly wrapped in plastic or a freezer-safe zip-top bag, for a few months.)