The Big Sweet Tooth: Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies

I visited an old friend on mine in Oman a couple of weeks ago. I was going to see her after 15 years - yes, that is after school! You could wonder how excited I was. I wanted to ensure that I would make something with my own hands and take it for her as a token of love. That was when I remembered that I was yet to complete the month's Home Baker's Challenge, which is hosted by the lovely Priya, who blogs at "Cook Like Priya". The list she provided were some lovely Christmas bakes, of which I zeroed on these cookies, as they seemed easy to make yet perfect for gifting to somebody. I made the recipe into half and got quite a big quantity of cookies, which I carried completely for her children. I don't have to say that the whole day, we chatted like school children - like she said, the only thing missing on us were the school uniforms! The kids were amused by the way their mothers, all of a sudden at the sight of their old schoolmates, could behave smaller than them!!! She kept talking about all the letters I had written to her, the gifts I gave her in school and so many minute details, which I felt so sorry, that I remembered nothing about! She had preserved all my memories, while all I had of hers is a couple of photographs and her writings in my autograph book.

All I have to say is a big thank you to Priya for sharing this recipe, which is definitely a keeper. The pictures were taken from my mobile camera, as I was already late in baking them, had to pack up all and get ready to leave early the next day morning, so I am so sorry for the bad quality pictures! :(

Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies

Recipe Courtesy: Food Network

Makes around 3 dozen mini cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, unsalted, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Sugar strands for decoration

Method:

In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.

In another bowl, combine and mix well the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir flour into the butter mixture, little by little at a time and combine into a dough. Chill dough for 3 to 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 170 degrees. Put parchment paper on a flat baking tray.

Divide the dough into three parts. Roll out on a well floured surface into 1/2 inch thickness. Using your favorite cookie cutters (I used the small star and heart) cut them and put them on to the tray. Sprinkle sugar strands on the cookies and bake them for 10 minutes. Cool them completely on a wire rack.

Notes:

The original recipe had asked to brush milk before sprinkling the sugar strands, which I conveniently forgot, but made not much difference on the cookies.
The cookies may be soft when out of the oven but hardens as it cools, so do not bake more than the mentioned time.
I used the mini cutters, if you are using the big cutters, then bake for an average of 15 minutes.