I am not a big fan of Valentine's day, but it is fun for the kiddos to have a reason to overload on sugar and an excuse for a party.
What says Happy Valentines Day better than the little message candies? I think a sugar cookie! For Pickle's school Valentine's Day party, I thought sugar cookies with little messages would be just the perfect treat.
Cookies go over much better than cupcakes, and I think it is because they are easy to eat.
The cookies were a huge hit, and I even had a few left over. I took it upon myself to eat them so that I could make sure and tell you just how great these were! Now, next week we will be back to the diet friendly foods...
I hope that you had a wonderful Valentine's day! I know my children loved all the sugar!!!
So, let me share with you the recipe I use to make just the perfect cookie. I have been holding on to this recipe for a few years. A friend shared it with me, and it is supposedly the recipe the Cookie Bouquet uses for their fanciful creations. I promise you won't be disappointed, and the little kick of Kosher salt is a pleasant surprise!
If you want to make a bouquet, here is a sample photo of one I made for Pickle's class when she was student of the week. You would know it would have to be ultra girly!!!
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| Student of the week bouquet... |
And because I am a dork, I have a few pictures for you... Not showing every step, but the important ones...
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| I really measured... since I wasn't making a bouquet, I rolled them to 3/8 inch. They were really thick cookies. |
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| Using a basic buttercream frosting, I pipe a border around my cookies, and then "flood" them with a thinned down version to get the beautiful smooth finish. |
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| I add corn syrup and half and half to my buttercream frosting to thin it down and then it "floods" the cookies. I wish I could give you exact amounts, but it varies every time based on the humidity. FYI, it is the secret to get the icing smooth... I learned the hard way. |
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| Perfectly thinned icing. It should run, but still have some texture. |
Sugar Cookies
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
Mix together flour and baking powder. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the egg, salt and both extracts. Mix well.
Slowly add flour mixture, 1 cup at a time. Mix until well incorporated. The dough might look a little dry, that is OK, and form together to a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll the dough onto a lightly floured surface to approximately 5/8 inch thick. Cut the cookies into desired shapes. Place the cut cookie carefully on a parchment lined cookie sheet. If you want to make a bouquet, insert a lollipop stick into the cookie.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges just begin to turn light golden brown in color. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to finish cooling.
Basic Buttercream Frosting
1 stick butter, softened
1 bag of powdered sugar (2 lbs.)
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Half and Half (about 1/2 cup) but it varies.
Cream butter with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and almond extracts. Mix well. Start adding cream, a little at at time. Continue mixing. If you frosting is too thick, add a little more cream. Be careful as you can quickly add too much and you will have runny frosting...
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