Jenny's Sugar Cookies

Jenny's Sugar Cookies - made February 13, 2020 from Jenny's Cookies

This was my (lame) attempt at a Mardi Gras look. I say lame because a fellow angel baker on the Angel Baker team from Soldiers' Angels posted her super-beautiful, royal-icing decorated Mardi Gras cookies and I was floored. I'm not even posting a pic of hers so only I will know how lame mine looks in comparison, lol.

unbaked

It's also kinda lame because all I did was sprinkle colored sugars in the Mardi Gras colors. That's the extent of my decorating prowess.

As for the cookies themselves, positive points that the dough came together well and was easy to work with, even for the rollout and the cookie cutting. Ultimately, this is a cookie that's best served as a base for an icing. It's not that sweet so it would be well served to be frosted or decorated with royal icing.

If you follow the directions to only bake 7-8 minutes, the bottoms will still be pale and the cookies will be a bit fragile. If you bake a few minutes more, long enough for the bottoms to be a pale golden brown, they'll be less fragile and - by definition - a bit more firm and chewy. Bake according to your preference.

These aren't that sweet and don't spread much so I'd recommend them more if you want a sugar cookie who'll keep its shape that you can decorate. But if you want a straightforward sugar cookie with great flavor, I'd still go with either the one from Butternut Bakery or from Easy Family Recipes.

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder; set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until combined and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
3. Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula.
4. On low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined and flour has been absorbed.
5. Form dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Press into a 1-inch thick disc. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured flat work surface to about 1/4" thickness, using additional flour as needed to prevent sticking. Cut into desired shapes and evenly space on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 7-8 minutes until puffy. Let rest on baking sheet for 2-3 minutes before transferring cookies to wire rack to cool completely.