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Christmas: Grandma Rose's Sugar Cookies

Source of Recipe


From "The Christmas Table" by Diane Morgan



List of Ingredients



• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  
• 1 tsp baking powder
  
• ¼ tsp kosher or sea salt
  
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  
• 1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for dusting
  
• 1 large egg, beaten
  
• 2 Tbsp sour cream
  
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  
• Pearl sugar, sparkling white sugar, or sparkling colored sugar for sprinkling
  






Instructions



1. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, sour cream, and vanilla and beat on medium speed until well combined, about 1 minute. (The mixture will look grainy.) Add 1 cup of the flour mixture and mix on low speed just until the flour disappears. Mix in the remaining flour mixture 1 cup at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice with a rubber spatula. Do not overmix.
   
   
2. Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a thick disk about 6 inches in diameter. Tightly wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours. (The dough can be made up to 2 days at advance.)
   
   
3. Remove the dough from the refrigerator 20 minutes before rolling and shaping the cookies. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking liners, or use nonstick baking sheets. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and granulated sugar. Place a dough disk on the work surface with flour and granulated sugar. Place a dough disk on the work surface and dust the top of the dough with flour and granulated sugar.
   
   
4. Roll out the dough â…› inch thick. Using your favorite cookie cutter, cut out as many cookies as possible. Arrange the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Gather up the dough scraps, lightly dust with flour and sugar if needed, re-roll the dough, and cut out cookies until all the dough is used. (Alternatively, drop the dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets and flatten them by pressing with the bottom of a glass.) Sprinkle the cookies with decorating sugar. Refrigerate the baking sheets for 1 hour.
   
   
5. Position one rack in the center and another rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Bake the sugar cookies until firm but not brown, 10 to 12 minutes, switching the pans between the racks and rotating them 180 degrees at the midpoint if the cookies appear to be baking unevenly. The cookies should be lightly golden on the bottom but not have any browning at the edges. Let the cookies cool on the pans on wire racks for 5 minutes, then transfer to the racks and let cool completely. (The cookies can be made up to 1 week ahead. Layer them between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container and store at room temperature. Or, they can be frozen for up to 1 month.)
   
   Makes about 6 dozen 2-inch-round cookies
   
   






Final Comments


Cook's Note:
You can top your cookies simply with granulated sugar, or you can try a more exotic alternative. Pearl sugar has bright white, large, irregular grains that do not melt in baking. Sparkling white sugar has clear, large crystal grains that melt slowly. Sparkling colored sugar comes in either coarse or fine grain and in a myriad of colors. Of course, green and red are traditional for Christmas, but if you allow your children to choose, you might end up with a rainbow. Find these sugars in the baking section of well-stocked grocery stores or order them from The Baker's Catalogue (800-827-6836 or www.bakerscatalogue.com)