hundreds of cookies later
My Christmas cookie assortment is never complete without, at the very least, one big tin of sugar cookies—the bake-a-thon that takes place during the month of December requires these buttery, textural wonders.
Christmas aside, the cookies—both kinds—make a regular appearance in my kitchen, filling up jars and tins or stacked in a cascade on a platter or on footed stands. Collectively, both varieties have been baked in the hundreds and, by now, I have lost track of the sheer number of dozens rolled out, hand-formed, baked, cooled, and lifted into storage containers.
Two varieties of cookies are represented by the recipes that follow: #1 sugar is exactingly rolled and cut into natural, uncomplicated shapes or fancy shapes (the choice is yours); the other, #2 sugar, sandy-textured and mellow, is formed into pillows. The shear of the rolled kind is crunchy-crisp-buttery; the texture of the hand-rolled is “short” and fairly brittle. Both cookies convey a good sense of eggs and magnify butter, so they are sure to please the purist with classic tastes.
twice as good cookies, #1 sugar and #2 sugar
#1 sugar
serving: about 14 large cookies
ahead: 5 days
classic butter dough
3 cups unsifted bleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound (16 tablespoons or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
11/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
11/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons heavy cream
sugar finish
sparkling sugar (plain or a color), for sprinkling on the unbaked cookies
~ or ~
granulated sugar, for sprinkling on the cookies before and after baking
For the dough, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper.
Cream the butter in the large bowl of a freestanding electric mixer on moderately low speed for 4 minutes. Add the granulated sugar in 3 additions, beating on moderate speed for 1 minute after each portion is added. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed until incorporated, about 45 seconds. Blend in the vanilla extract and heavy cream. On low speed, mix in the sifted ingredients in 3 additions, beating just until the flour particles are absorbed. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl frequently with a rubber spatula to keep the dough even-textured.
Divide the dough into 2 portions. Roll each portion of dough between two sheets of waxed paper to a thickness of a scant 1/4 inch. Stack the sheets of dough on a cookie sheet and refrigerate overnight.
On baking day, place the sheets of dough in the freezer for 1 hour before stamping out the cookies with a cutter.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Line several cookie sheets with lengths of ovenproof parchment paper.
Remove one sheet of dough at a time from the freezer. Carefully peel off both sheets of paper and place the length of rolled-out dough on a lightly floured work surface (or, place the rolled-out dough on a sheet of ovenproof parchment paper). Stamp out cookies with a 4 to 41/2-inch cutter. Place the cookies, 31/2 inches apart, on the prepared cookie sheets, arranging a maximum of 6 cookies to a pan. Sprinkle the tops with the sparkling sugar or the granulated sugar.
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 12 to 13 minutes, or until set, baked through, and light golden in color on the edges. Let the cookies stand on the baking pans for 1 minute, then immediately sprinkle the tops with additional granulated sugar, if you have used the granulated sugar to top the cookies before baking; if you have used sparkling sugar, leave them as is. Transfer the cookies to cooling racks, using a wide offset metal spatula. Cool completely. Store in an airtight tin.
notes
• these are crisp cookies, best formed big and impressive
• when preparing cookie dough for refrigeration or freezing, use organic eggs only
• never consume raw cookie dough
twice as good cookies, #1 sugar and #2 sugar
#2 sugar
serving: about 4 dozen cookies
ahead: 5 days
sandy butter dough
4 cups unsifted bleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound (16 tablespoons or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup neutral vegetable oil (such as soybean or canola)
1 cup superfine sugar
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
seeds from 1 small vanilla bean, scraped clean
about 2 cups granulated sugar, for dredging the cookie dough balls before baking
For the dough, sift the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper.
Cream the butter in the large bowl of a freestanding electric mixer on moderately low speed for 4 minutes. Blend in the oil, beating it in in a thin, steady stream. At this point, the mixture will look somewhat soupy. Add the superfine sugar in 2 additions, beating on moderately low speed for 45 seconds after each portion is added. Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat for 1 minute longer. Add the whole egg and beat on low speed until just incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add the egg yolks and beat for 30 seconds longer. Blend in the vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds. On low speed, mix in the sifted ingredients in 3 additions, beating just until the flour particles are absorbed. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl frequently to keep the dough even-textured. The mixture will be quite soft and sticky at this point—which is natural for this type of dough.
Refrigerate the dough, covered with a sheet of food-safe plastic wrap, for 3 hours, or until firm enough to handle (or overnight, if you wish).
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F in advance of baking.
Line several cookie sheets or rimmed sheet pans with lengths of ovenproof parchment paper.
Place the granulated sugar in a wide, shallow bowl.
Scoop up heaping 2-tablespoon-size mounds of dough and roll into balls. Roll each ball in the granulated sugar, and place on the prepared baking pans, spacing them about 3 inches apart, and arranging 9 cookies to a pan. Gently flatten the cookies in a crisscross or one-way striated (corrugated) style with the tines of a table fork; if you are using the striated look, corrugate the cookies decisively to give the baked surfaces an interesting texture.
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 13 to 15 minutes, or until set and light golden. Let the cookies stand on the baking pans for 1 minute, then transfer them to cooling racks, using a wide offset metal spatula. Cool completely. Store in an airtight tin.
notes
• for a lovely hint of citrus, omit the vanilla bean seeds, reduce the vanilla extract to 2 teaspoons, and add 1 teaspoon each of orange extract and lemon extract
• when preparing cookie dough for refrigeration or freezing, use organic eggs only
• never consume raw cookie dough