I'm Back + 4th of July Sugar Cookies

Hi everyone!  My profound apologies for not posting for so long!  In my defense, the last couple of months of school were really busy and at times stressful, so blogging wasn't my priority.  Thankfully, God helped me through it and now it's summer ✌! 

I should probably give you all a brief life update.  I wrote in my last medical post that I was going to have a post vascular surgery appointment and I did!  My vascular surgeon still thinks that there's some vein blockage, but didn't seem to be too disappointed.  I'm slated to have a vein ultrasound done next month and will probably have my semi-annual cardiology appointment this or next month and will need to have an appointment to make sure my pacemaker is continuing to work well, so that's what's next medically speaking.

And now, let's talk about food!  Today's recipe makes a great treat for a 4th of July celebration- the recipe is for star-shaped sugar cookies with decked with a sweet glaze and patriotic sprinkles 😋.  There are two main components of this cookie recipe:  the cookies themselves and the glaze.  Let's walk through these two parts together.

1.  The Cookies

I think that it's safe to say that these sugar cookies are some of the best I've ever had.  I will say, however, that it took a little recipe testing to figure out if this recipe was indeed the best.  A couple of summers ago, my mom and I worked to test two recipes of cookies:  the one that  will share with you today and one from a different blog.  Both cookie recipes were definitely good, but the cookie recipe that I'm sharing with you today yielded cookies with an impeccable taste and the signature buttery texture possessed by all good sugar cookies 😋.

You probably know the secret to soft, buttery sugar cookies already: butter- and lots of it!  But the key to crafting sugar cookies with an addictive taste is an unexpected ingredient:  almond extract.  Once you have sugar cookies infused with a smidgen of this nutty elixir, there's no going back; your standard for sugar cookies will never be the same.  Thankfully, almond extract, like vanilla extract is not too hard to find; it is probably sold at a grocery store near you.  There's lots of extracts on the market, but I would say for home cooks like us, vanilla and almond extracts are the only two that you should make sure you have in your pantry.

I know that I'm telling you all these wonderful things about these sugar cookies, but I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that sugar cookies aren't easy, especially rolling them out.  As of yet, I have not found any foolproof hack for stickage-free rolling of sugar cookie dough, but I do have a couple of tips.  First of all, chill the cookie dough for a bit if it is too sticky to roll out; this will help the flour and butter in the dough to meld together and the fat in the dough will firm up, yielding dough that is more manageable to work with.  My second tip is this:  make sure that you dust your clean work space where you will roll out the cookie dough as well as the rolling pin itself with a fair amount of flour (like the amount in the picture above).  This will help prevent the dough from sticking to the counter and rolling pin.

2.  The Glaze

Instead of frosting my sugar cookies, I like glazing them.  Why?  The reason is three-fold.  First it's easier; you don't have to deal with making frosting and carefully spreading it on delicate cookies.  Secondly, it's faster, for the same reason.  Thirdly, it makes decorating less-stressful.  I am by nature not an artistic person in terms of decorating, so glazing sugar cookies and garnishing them with some colored sprinkles is right up my alley 😂!

Now, those of you who know my food philosophy (eating a balanced diet but also indulging in treats at times) might be surprised that there is corn syrup in this glaze.  The truth is, I am someone who hardly ever cooks with corn syrup; in fact, I think that it's a good idea to try to bake with natural sweeteners, like fruit, honey, and pure maple syrup instead of refined sweeteners (hello banana oat muffins).  However, this is a special dessert that I'm not attempting to "healthify", and corn syrup gives the glaze it's proper texture, so there you go.  However, feel free to experiment with this glaze recipe by using honey instead of corn syrup.  I've never tried that myself, but it might work and if so, I would love to know!

I used this recipe and this recipe to bring you today's recipe.

If you are looking for other dishes to bring to your 4th of July gatherings, here are recipes for coleslaw, grilled chicken, and slow cooker chili verde, all of which would be crowd pleasers 😋!

That's all for now. Again, my apologies for not posting for so long.  I hope you have a wonderful 4th of July 😊.  I'll "see" y'all again Friday when I post a recipe for a lightened-up classic dessert 😋.

Sugar Cookies

For the Cookies:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.  Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or using a hand mixer and a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth, at least 3 minutes.

3.  Beat in the extracts and the egg and set the mixture aside.

4.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the baking powder, salt, and flour.

5.  Beat in the dry ingredient mixture a little at a time into the wet ingredient mixture until incorporated, kneading it by hand if it becomes too thick for the mixer to handle, then set aside.

6.  Chill the dough if it is too sticky to work with; otherwise, proceed with the rest of the steps below.

7.  Flour a clean work surface (such as a counter or cutting board) as well as a rolling pin.

8.  Place the dough on the work surface and roll it to about 1/4 inch thickness.

9.  Cut the dough into desired shape using a cookie cutter.

10.  Grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray.

11.  Carefully transfer the cut-out cookies onto the tray, spacing them about 2 inches apart from each other.

12.  Bake in preheated oven for 6-12 minutes, depending on the size of the cookies and desired texture.

13.  Once the cookies have totally cooled, make and spread the glaze on them (recipe below) and add sprinkles if desired.

14.  Enjoy, storing at room temperature for up to 3 days.

For the Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 T. light corn syrup
• 2 T. water
• Food coloring (if desired)

1.  Once the cookies (recipe above) have completely cooled, make the glaze by whisking together all of the ingredients until smooth and spreading them on the cookies.