Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies
I'm not sure if there's a more classic cookie than sugar cookies. They may seem a little Plain-Jane nowadays – as a society it seems like we're going through this phase where we always have to have a wide variety of flavors and layers of complexity in our food. There's nothing about sugar cookies that could be considered remotely complex. Flour, sugar, butter, and an egg, and that's basically it. But they have such a vintage feel, and despite the simplicity, when homemade they're downright delicious. (Plus, I needed to make at least one type of cookie this season without peanut butter and chocolate.)
This recipe is from an old-school-cool (sorry, Mom) recipe book from that was published in 1983, called Sweet Talk - Recipes From the Domino Sugar Chef. Since these are, in fact, called sugar cookies, it's probably safe to say that a popular sugar company like Domino knows a pretty damn good recipe for them. On top of the typical flour, sugar, butter, and egg, and along with the necessary baking powder and salt, these also call for vanilla extract and lemon zest to fill out the flavor. That's as complex as sugar cookies get. And on top of that, they only bake for around 8 minutes! Could it get much easier?
I had a couple friends over for a cookie-baking day, and these were great for the occasion because not only does this simple recipe make more than enough cookies to share, but it's a fun and festive activity at the same time. Breaking out the Christmas cookie cutters and sprinkles to decorate them made me feel a little nostalgic, which is one of the reasons I love this time of year. Something about decorating Christmas cookies will always throw me back to my childhood – it lets me feel a spark of the magic the Christmas season always filled me with. I hope you're all having a beautiful and magical holiday season too, filled with whatever cookies bring you the spirit of the season!
OLD-FASHIONED SUGAR COOKIES
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 8 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
½ t salt
¾ cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 t lemon zest
1 t vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 t baking powder
extra sugar or sprinkles to decorate (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.
In a large bowl, cream the sugar, salt, and butter, with a hand mixer if you've got one. Then beat the egg, zest, and vanilla into this mixture until light and fluffy.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder, then slowly stir the dry ingredients into the creamed ingredients. Be sure to add the dry ingredients just a little at a time – sometimes I don't use all the flour. Don't let the dough get too crumbly!
Flour a board or countertop. Roll the cookie dough out so that it's about 1/8 inch high, and use cookie cutters to cut into shapes. Place each cookie onto a cookie sheet, and use a baking mat if you have one! If you'd like, you can sprinkle a little extra sugar on top of these before baking – plain, or colored if you want them to look more festive! Sprinkles are always a fun addition too.
Bake for around 8 minutes, or until they're very slightly golden around the edges. Remove and then place on a cooling rack as soon as you can move them off the sheet, so they don't continue baking. Makes about 4 dozen cookies!
Happy Eating,
Natalie