Spiced Springtime Sugar Cookies Recipes

SPICED HOLIDAY SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Mix flour, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in medium bowl. Set aside. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed.
• Roll out dough on generously floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into shapes with your favorite holiday cookie cutters. Place on ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges start to brown lightly. Cool on baking sheets 1 minute. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
• For the Icing, mix confectioners' sugar and milk with wire whisk until well blended and smooth. (Stir in additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached.) (Makes 1 cup.) See tips below to make holiday icing colors.
• To ice cookies, hold cookie by its edge and dip top of cookie into icing. (Or spoon the icing onto cookie using a teaspoon.) Place iced cookies on wire rack set over foil-covered baking sheet to dry. (The foil-covered baking sheet will catch drips.) To add decorative details to cookies, spoon tinted icing into resealable plastic bag. Snip off a tiny piece of the corner. Squeeze icing through hole in plastic bag to decorate cookies. If desired, Colored Sugar may be sprinkled onto freshly iced cookies.
• Each color combination below is enough to tint 1 cup icing. •RED: Mix 1 teaspoon Red, 30 drops NEON Pink, 10 drops Yellow and 2 drops Blue into 1 batch of frosting.•BROWN: Mix 6 drops Black, 25 drops Yellow and 18 drops NEON Purple into 1 batch of frosting.•BLUE: Mix 4 drops NEON Pink and 8 drops NEON Blue into 1 batch of frosting.•YELLOW: Mix 16 drops Yellow and 1 drop Red into 1 batch of frosting. •BLUE: Mix 2 drops NEON Blue and 1 drop NEON Pink into 1 batch of frosting.•GREEN: Mix 35 drops Green and 1 drop Black into 1 batch of frosting.

SPICED SUGAR COOKIES RECIPE

Steps:

• To make the cookies, first combine the flour, salt, baking powder, ground ginger and cinnamon. Whisk until incorporated, and set aside. In another bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until well combined. Next, add in the eggs and vanilla extract. Don't worry if the mixture clumps slightly, it will come together when you add the dry ingredients.
• Gradually add in the flour mixture and switch to a rubber spatula if necessary. The mixture will be thick and may be a little sticky. Scoop the cookie dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, covering it well. Shape the dough into a small disk. This ensures that a skin does not form on the dough, and it remains smooth.
• Chill the dough for at least two hours or overnight, or until it is firm to the touch. The longer the dough chills, the more pronounced the spice flavors will be. When you're ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 180 C or 350 F and line a baking tray with parchment paper. If the dough has been chilling for several hours, leave it for around 10 minutes to soften slightly, as it will be quite firm.
• Dust a work surface and the dough with flour and roll to a ½ cm or ¼ inch thickness. Using cookie cutters, cut the dough as you like. Fear not if you don't have cookie cutters: you can do several things. You could roll the dough into a log instead of a disk when refrigerating, then slice the log into ½ cm or ¼ inch slices. You could also roll the dough into 1 tablespoon sized balls, roll the balls in granulated sugar, then place onto the cookie sheet and press down to form a disk. Alternatively, you can use the rim of a glass to cut out shapes. Gather the scraps, then roll out the cookie dough again, adding a touch more flour when necessary to prevent sticking.
• Place the cut-outs onto the parchment-lined baking tray and bake the cookies for 11-13 minutes, or until the edges are a light golden brown (11 minutes will give you a slightly softer cookie, 13 minutes will give you a slightly crunchier cookie). Let the cookies cool for several minutes on the tray, then transfer them to a wire rack and let them completely before icing.
• To make the icing, use a wooden spoon to combine the butter and confectioners' sugar as best you can. It will be relatively dry. At this stage, add the vanilla, followed by the milk or water a little at a time, until you obtain your desired consistency. If the icing ends up being too thin, add some more sugar. If it's too thick, add more milk. If you'd like, you can color the icing with your food coloring of choice.
• Spread the icing onto the cookies, using a butter knife or using a piping bag with the end snipped off just slightly, and top with sprinkles. Wait until the icing has hardened (this takes around an hour, or less if refrigerated) before stacking or serving. The icing makes enough for the cookies specified in the recipe, but if you'd like to have multiple colors, you might like to double the icing recipe so that there is enough per color.
• Storing: These cookies last for around a week once frosted, and slightly longer unfrosted. The dough, unbaked, freezes well too!

SPICED THANKSGIVING SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• For the cookies: Put the sugar in a food processor and pulse a few times to finely grind. Add the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pulse just to combine.
• Add the butter and pulse until all of the butter is incorporated into the flour and the mixture is sandy. Add the egg and vanilla and pulse until the mixture comes together in big clumps.
• Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead a few times to form a ball. Divide the dough in half, pat into 2 discs about 1/4-inch thick, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Let the dough sit at room temperature for a few minutes to make rolling easier. Put 1 disc of dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper and roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thick. Cut out with desired cookie cutters and arrange on one of the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake until the bottom of the cookies are golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet until firm enough to transfer to a rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough. Gently gather any scraps into a ball and press into another disc. Chill the disc until firm enough to roll and cut out as many cookies as possible.
• For the icing: Sift the meringue powder and confectioners' sugar together in a large bowl and add 6 tablespoons water. Beat with an electric mixer on medium-high until the mixture is glossy and soft peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes. Add food coloring if using or divide into several batches and color with different shades of food coloring. Decorate cookies as desired. The cookies can be store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

SPICED HOLIDAY SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• 1. Mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl. Set aside. Beat granulated sugar and butter in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Refrigerate dough 2 hours or overnight until firm.
• 2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface* to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into shapes with favorite cookie cutters. Place on greased baking sheets.
• 3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets 1 minute. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
• 4. For the Icing, mix all ingredients except food colors. (Stir in additional milk to thin icing or more confectioners' sugar to thicken, if needed). Place small amount of icing into small shallow bowls, using one bowl for each color desired. Stir drops of food color into icing until desired shade is reached.
• 5. To ice cookies, hold cookie by its edge and dip top of cookie into icing. (Or spoon the icing onto cookie using a teaspoon.) Place iced cookies on wire rack set over foil-covered baking sheet to dry. (The foil-covered baking sheet will catch drips.) To add decorative details to cookies, spoon tinted icing into resealable plastic bag. Snip off a tiny piece of the corner. Squeeze icing through hole in plastic bag to decorate cookies. If desired, Colored Sugar may be sprinkled onto freshly iced cookies.
• For the variations below, omit the cinnamon and the nutmeg. Use the following extract in place of the vanilla extract in the cookies:
• Almond Holiday Sugar Cookies: Use 1 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Almond Extract.
• Orange Holiday Sugar Cookies: Use 1 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Orange Extract.
• Lemon Holiday Sugar Cookies: Use 1 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Lemon Extract.

CHAI-SPICED COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar with electric mixer on low speed until blended. Stir in remaining cookie ingredients.
• Shape dough by tablespoonfuls into balls. On ungreased cookie sheets, place balls 1 1/2 inches apart.
• Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until very lightly browned. Remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack; cool 5 minutes.
• In medium bowl, mix coating ingredients. Working in batches, gently roll warm cookies in coating mixture. Cool on cooling rack 5 minutes. Roll in mixture again.

SUGAR AND SPICE COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix the flour, the baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves together in a bowl.
• Cream the butter and brown sugar together with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth; beat the egg and vanilla extract into the butter mixture. Add the flour mixture in small amount to the butter mixture, beating each addition until blended. Form the dough into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease baking sheets.
• Roll the dough out on a floured work surface with a rolling pin to about 1/8-inch thickness. Cut with 2-inch cookie cutters. Arrange the cut cookies onto the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the edges begin to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

FESTIVE SPICE COOKIES

Steps:

• Sieve the flour, spices and salt together into a bowl and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy, then add the honey and beaten egg. Stir to fully combine. Sift in the dry ingredients in a few batches. The mixture will be a bit stiff but still soft and not dry.
• Divide the dough into two batches and wrap the halves in cling film. Refrigerate overnight or for at least 3-4 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 170°C. Line several large baking trays with greaseproof paper, or if they are non-stick simply butter them and set aside.
• Lightly flour the work surface, then roll out one half of the dough. Stamp out festive trees using a tree-shaped cutter. Lay on the baking sheets with spaces between them, then add on the smarties or other coloured beans.
• When you have stamped out enough to fill the tray, place in the oven and bake for 8 - 10 minutes. They want to be golden in colour but still fairly soft as they harden up a little after cooking. Repeat this process until all the mixture has been used up. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

SUGAR 'N' SPICE COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and molasses. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. , Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes. Remove to wire racks; cool. , For frosting, cream the confectioners' sugar, butter and zest in a large bowl. Gradually add lemon juice, beating until frosting achieves desired spreading consistency. Frost cookies.

SPICED SUGAR COOKIES WITH MAPLE GLAZE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, stir together cookie mix, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Add butter and egg; mix until dough forms a ball.
• On floured surface with rolling pin, roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with assorted cookie cutters; place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
• In small bowl, beat powdered sugar and syrup with whisk until smooth. Gradually add water, a few drops at a time, beating until a thick glaze forms. Spread glaze over cooled cookies. Decorate with sanding sugars, sprinkles and chocolate chips.

EASTER SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• In a bowl, cream butter, cream cheese and sugar. Beat in egg yolk and extracts. Combine the flour, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or until easy to handle., Preheat oven to 375°. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a 2-1/2-in. cookie cutter dipped in flour. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until edges begin to brown, 8-10 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Decorate as desired.

SPICE SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• In a bowl cream the shortening with the brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy and stir in the egg and the molasses. Into another bowl sift together the flour, the baking soda, the cinnamon, the ginger, the cloves, and the salt, add the flour mixture in batches to the shortening mixture, and blend the dough well. Chill the dough, covered, for 1 hour.
• Roll level tablespoons of the dough into balls, dip one side of each ball into the granulated sugar, and arrange the balls, sugared sides up, about 3 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Bake the cookies in batches in the middle of a preheated 375°F. oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are puffed and cracked on top. Transfer the cookies with a metal spatula to racks and let them cool.

SPECULAAS (DUTCH SPICE COOKIES OR WINDMILL COOKIES)

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, cream together sugar and butter. Add egg.
• Add remaining ingredients and stir to form a stiff dough.
• If making the cookies without a mold, roll the dough into cylinders that are the diameter of your desired cookies.*
• Freeze for at least 20-30 minutes.
• Slice the chilled dough into thin (~1/4 inch) rounds and place on a cookie sheet. Cookies will spread a little bit upon baking.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.
• *Also chill dough before pressing into molds or using cookie cutters.

SPICED SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a bowl. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles small crumbs. Pack the crumbs into a ball, then knead by hand until smooth.
• Lightly flour a work surface. Roll dough out into a thick disc, 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick. Cut out desired shapes using a cookie cutter. Place cookies on the prepared baking sheet. Gather scraps together, roll out, and repeat.
• Bake cookies in the preheated oven until edges are lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

SPICED PRUNE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Cream sugar, eggs and butter.
• Mix flour, soda, salt and spices.
• Add to creamed mixture.
• Add milk, prunes and nuts.
• Chill one hour.
• Drop by teaspoonful on cookie sheet.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes.

SPICE COOKIE DOUGH

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Beat butter and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, ground cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and pepper and beat until combined. Proceed with variations:Thumbprints and Ball CookiesShaped Icebox CookiesLayered Icebox CookiesGlazed Spritz CookiesCutout Cookies

SPICED SPRINGTIME SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• MIX flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Breat sugar and butter in a large bowl with electirc or medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg, and vanilla; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight until firm. ROLL out dough on lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Place on greased baking sheets. BAKE in preheated 375 degree oven 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets 1 minute. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. Decorate cooled cookies with Colorful Cookie Glaze. Place on wire racks to dry. COLORFUL COOKIE GLAZE: Mix 1 cup confectioners' sugar, 3 1/2 tsp. milk, 2 tsp. light corn syrup, 1/4 tsp. McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract and 3 to 4 drops McCormick Assorted Food Colors or Neon!