Aunt Esthers Sugar Cookies Recipe 45

ESTHER'S SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Using an electric mixer, add sugar, margarine, eggs and vanilla; beat on medium speed until well combined.
• In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together. Add dry ingredients to the mixing bowl in several additions, beating after each addition.
• Cover and refrigerate dough for several hours or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Working on a floured surface, roll dough to about 1/8" thick. Cut cookies into desired shapes. (Note: This dough can be rolled out again and again without getting tough.)
• Bake cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes or until the edges begin to turn light brown.
• Sprinkle cookies generously with sugar or decorate as desired.
• Using a medium mixing bowl, add powdered sugar, milk, corn syrup and vanilla extract; stir until well combined.
• If coloring the frosting, divide frosting into bowls and color at this point.
• Transfer frosting into piping bags fitted with a piping tip or ziptop bags with the corners snipped off.
• Pipe frosting onto cookies and decorate with sprinkles (optional).
• Let cookies stand at room temperature for several hours, or until frosting has hardened.

GRANDMA MINNIE'S OLD FASHIONED SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) .
• Over a large bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, sugar. Cut in butter and blend with a pastry blender until mixture resembles cornmeal. Stir in lightly beaten egg, cream, and vanilla. Blend well. Dough may be chilled, if desired.
• On a floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Sprinkle with sugar; cut into desired shapes. Transfer to ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until delicately brown.

AUNT EDNA'S SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream sugar and shortening together.
• Add salt and eggs and mix well.
• Add vanilla and mix well.
• Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and sour cream and mix well.
• Roll the dough out to 1/4" to 3/8" thick, and cut cookies out in whatever shape you wish. Transfer cookies to a cookie sheet, and bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle with sugar. Cool on a wire rack.

AUNT ANNIE'S SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°.
• Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg together.
• In a large bowl, fully cream margarine and sugar together.
• Add soured milk alternately with the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture.
• Form dough into a ball, wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
• Cut the dough into quarters and roll out one quarter at a time (it rolls and cuts the best if it is chilled, so keep the remaining sections in the refrigerator until you're ready to use them).
• I use a pastry mat to cut my dough out on. I have never had a problem with the dough being sticky, but you can lightly flour your work surface, if necessary (beware that it might change the flavor a bit if you over flour).
• Transfer the cut out cookies to an ungreased baking sheet. I like to sprinkle a little sugar on the tops of them before baking. My children like to put sprinkles on top first. Or, you can leave them plain and put icing on afterwards. We have too big a sweet tooth here to eat them plain.
• Bake in a 350°F oven for 7-9 minutes. Do not brown!
• Enjoy!

ANNE'S BASIC SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Combine cake mix, butter, egg, vanilla, and almond extract in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the mixture comes together into a sticky ball, 30 to 45 seconds.
• Roll the dough to 1/4- to 1/2-inch thickness on a lightly floured board with a lightly floured rolling pin. Use cookie cutters to stamp out shapes and place them 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. (You can reroll the dough scraps once and cut out more cookies.) Brush the cookies with egg white and decorate with sprinkles.
• Place one pan in the oven at a time. Bake until the edges of the cookies are golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes for smaller cookies and 10 to 12 minutes for larger. Let the cookies rest on the cookie sheet for 1 minute, then remove to wire racks with a metal spatula to cool completely, about 20 minutes.

ESTHER'S GINGERY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Steps:

• Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and a second rack in the lower third then preheat to 375°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar, and brown sugar and beat on medium speed, scraping the bowl occasionally, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in 3 batches, stirring until just combined. Add the bittersweet and semisweet chocolate chips and the candied ginger and fold until just incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic directly on the dough's surface, and chill at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
• Drop the dough by heaping 2 tablespoons onto the baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies. Bake, switching the cookies between the upper and lower racks about halfway through baking, until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool the cookies on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Continue baking cookies on cooled baking sheets. DO AHEAD: The cookies can be baked ahead and stored, in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 3 days.