THE RECIPE
adapted from The Good Housekeeping Cookbook and Betty Crocker's 40th Anniversary Cookbook
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2/3 cup shortening or butter
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 1/4 cups flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
In a large bowl cream the shortening and the sugar. Add the eggs, extract, and milk. In a medium bowl mix the dry ingredients with a wire whisk. Add the dry ingredients to the large bowl. Mix with mixer until well combined. With hands, shape dough into a ball. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours (you can cheat, and put dough in the freezer if you're really in a hurry, or you can make the dough a day or two ahead).
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease cookie sheets. Roll half or 1/3 dough at a time, keep the rest refrigerated. For crisp cookies, roll the dough thin. For softer cookies, roll 1/8 " to 1/4" thick. With floured cookie cutter, cut into shapes. Re-roll trimmings and cut.
Place cookies 1/2 inch apart on cookie sheets. Decorate*
Bake 8 minutes or until very light brown. With pancake turner, remove cookies to racks; cool. Makes about 6 dozen cookies.Decorations
You can decorate the cookies in several different ways:
Frost the cookies with pink or red frosting
Dust the cookies with powdered sugar
Dip the cookies (bottom half, or the right or left side only) in melted chocolate--you can use chocolate chips, and melt on low power in the microwave, or melt in a double boiler.
You can sprinkle the cookies with colored sugar (use a pastry brush to lightly moisten using heavy cream, then sprinkle with red sugar).
Make jam heart tarts: before baking, cut out two layers of the same size, but the top layer should have a heart cut out of the center. Spread raspberry jam on the bottom cookie, just to cover the center (about 1/2 teaspoon) and then top with the second layer, so that the jam shows through the cut-out "window." These look great dusted with powdered sugar, but use a paper cut-out to mask the jam (and keep it red).
Frosting
1 pound Box confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 Stick butter -- softened
3 To 4 teaspoons cream
Mix all ingredients until smooth. Add cream if too stiff, add confectioner's sugar if too runny.
Add food color by tiny droplets, since it is very concentrated.
Use a decorator's tube to "draw" on the cookies.
Source: Recipe on the C&H sugar box.
recipe courtesy of Dee Marx-Kelly
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