Making these sugar cookies was a tradition with my children, Allison and Bev, and me. It is great now to be making these cookies in Ottawa with my grandchildren Grayson, Zoe, Foster and Eli. The key to success is to have lots of icing and sprinkles of many colours. Chocolate chips and google eyes (for the snowman) are popular too. Fortunately for me, a trip to Bulk Barn provides all of the icing and sprinkle options required. The cookies themselves are easy to make ahead of the decorating party (see below).
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour, plus more as needed for rolling and work surface
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional but delicious)
Royal icing is available at Bulk Barn as a powder that you can add water to, mixed in the mixer. You can then colour the white icing with gel food colouring or you can buy coloured icing in a squeeze bottle (my choice). I left the royal icing white to be used as a base colour for the figures.
Instructions:
1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat (with mixer using paddle attachment) the butter and sugar together on high speed until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, almond extract and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Dough will be relatively soft. If the dough seems too soft and sticky for rolling, add 1 more tbsp of flour.
4. Divide the dough in two equal parts. Place each portion onto a piece of lightly floured parchment paper or lightly floured silicon baking mat. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 1/4 in thickness. Use more flour if the dough seems too sticky. The rolled out dough can be any shape as long as it is evenly 1/4 inch thick.
5. Lightly dust one of the rolled out doughs with flour. Place a piece of parchment on top (this prevents sticking). Place the 2nd rolled out dough on top. Cover with a plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours and up to 2 days. (I chilled for a day and needed to give the dough time to warm out before rolling)
6. Once chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Carefully remove the dough piece from the refrigerator. Using a cookie cutter, cut the dough into shapes. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used. Repeat with 2nd piece of dough.
7. Arrange cookies on baking sheets 3 inches apart. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Rotate the baking pans half way through if the cookies are not browning evenly. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
8. Decorate the cooled cookies with royal icing. Purchase tinted (Bulk barn) or tint white with gel food colouring. Add the sprinkles liberally. Wait for the icing to set (which takes a while). Setting is speeded up in the refrigerator.
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