Joy the Baker » sugar cookies

Whole Wheat Chocolate Brown Sugar Sugar Cookies

joythebaker — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 08:11:36 +0000

Alright people. Suit up. Gather your armor. We’ve got another holiday to dive into.

I’m talking about Valentine’s Day.

Now listen…. I don’t care where you stand on the Valentine’s Day issue. I don’t care if you’re single or married or smitten or bitter. Valentine’s Day exists… there’s no ignoring it. Flag day we can ignore. Arbor day we can half acknowledge…. but Valentine’s Day, we just have to get in there and deal with.

It’s like going to the dentist… but more romantic (or something).

Maybe you can sorta tell how I feel about Valentine’s Day. Maybe you can sorta tell I’m not that into it. I’m not angry or bitter… it’s just never been a day that’s bowled me over. Wait… is that an expression?

When I was 17, my first boyfriend made me something from his pottery class for Valentine’s Day… that he then took back and gave to another girl. It sounds way more upsetting than it actually was. I remember totally not caring. Aaaannnnddd…that’s that. Moving on.

Let me tell you about these cookies. They’re certainly not your typical rolled out sugar cookie.

These cookies are loaded with good quality cocoa powder and stone ground whole wheat flour. I like them quite a lot. They’re slightly crisp around the edges and soft in the center. The cocoa adds… you know… lots of yumyum. The whole wheat flour adds a nuttiness and makes the cookies more of a mouthful than plain old all-purpose flour. I love the combination.

I topped these cookies with a generous sprinkling of granulated sugar and thought they were just divine.

I bought myself two awesome early Valentine’s Day presents.

The Jamie at Home cookbook. So beautiful! I mean… swooooon! I can’t wait to dive into this book.

And, of course, Ree’s new book. And she signed it. And all is well.

Boooya(kah)!

Whole Wheat Chocolate Brown Sugar Sugar Cookies

Makes: about three dozen cookies

Print this Recipe!

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fit with a paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugars. Beat until well incorporated. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl. Add the egg. Beat on medium speed until mixture is glossy and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Stop mixer and add the dry ingredients all at once. Mix on low speed until all of the flour is incorporated Stop mixer and finish incorporating ingredients with a spatula. Spoon batter out onto a sheet of waxed paper, and form loosely into a log. Roll and seal cookie dough and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Once chilled, divide dough in half and place one half on a lightly floured counter surface. Lightly flour a rolling pin and roll out dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. Use a heart shaped (or whatever) cookie cutter to cut out cookies and place dough on prepared baking sheet. Very lightly brush cookies with water and sprinkle with granulated or turbinado sugar.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven, allow to rest on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Roll and cut cookies, re-rolling the dough once or twice, until all cookies are cut and baked.

Cookies will last, in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to five days.

Sugar Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

joythebaker — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 05:13:27 +0000

I shouldn’t have to use a lot of words to convince you that topping a sugar cookie with a scoop of your favorite ice cream and then smashing it all together with another sugar cookie is a good idea.

Huh?

That’s sort of a weird sentence. Did that make sense?

What I’m trying to say is… please just make these and share them with the people around you.

I’m gonna go wash my hair and put on lipstick… that’s what girls do, right?

Yes… I bought ice cream from the store. Orange Sherbet to be exact.

It’s not like I’ve never made ice cream before… I just wanted a quick fix.

I sure did make these sugar cookies myself. Buttery, soft, sweet sugar cookies.

Cooled and topped with a giant scoop of Orange Sherbet.

mmmmm. Gettin’ melty.

Yea. These are a crowd pleaser. Seriously. Just get on it.

Sugar Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

adapted from good ol Betty Crocker

makes about 36 large cookies

Print this Recipe!

1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar**

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar, for rolling cookies

1/2 gallon of your favorite ice cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fit with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract.

Sift together the dry ingredients and add all at once to the butter and egg mixture. Mix until just combined.

Form dough into 1 1/4-inch balls and roll in granulated sugar. Place on a cookie sheet (lined with parchment is good) and bake until the edges are just slightly golden, about 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan for 5 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack before scooping a generous scoop of ice cream on top of the bottom side of one cookie. Top with another sugar cookie. Refreeze before wrapping individually in plastic wrap.

** There isn’t a super great substitute for Cream of Tartar. Cream of Tartar and baking soda work together to create a double-acting baking powder of sorts. If you absolutely can’t get your hands on Cream of Tartar try using 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of baking powder for the entire recipe. I haven’t tried this myself… but I think it should work. Let me know!

Giant Vanilla Sugar Cookies

joythebaker — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 06:34:30 +0000

You know what? You deserve a break. Seriously. It’s Saturday. Let’s take it easy.

I know… I know. You have that whole list of things to do. Sure, you need to get the car washed. Yes, there’s that thing about going to the pet store, and getting a present for your mother-in-law’s church friend’s niece. You’ve got a lot on your plate. I know. But… well what would happen, if for today, you kicked the list to the curb and kicked you feet up on the couch?

I’ll tell you what would happen. The car would stay dirty, the pet store would miss you, and your mother-in-law’s church friend’s niece would have one less present at her party. She’ll have enough presents. Go on… take a break.

Now… if you’re anything like me, you have a list and you can’t stand not to start crossing tasks off. Here’s my tip: make a new list. I’ll help. On our new list are these things: go to the farmer’s market and buy the prettiest cherries you can get your hands on, treat yourself to frozen yogurt, call that friend you’ve been meaning to call, watch at least three hours of a Law and Order marathon, and have two glasses of wine with dinner… dinner out.

See? Better list. It’s the list you should be working on this Saturday.

Aaaaand, if you wanted to add the making of these sugar cookies to the list… forget about it. These can go on your Sunday to-do list. Yea. Sunday.

These sugar cookies are superb. Superb. Why? Their greatness is do, in part, to their giant size. Who doesn’t love a super giant cookie? There’s more cookie to love. Simple fact.

Also… I know I’ve been using this doily a lot lately. I’ll switch it up soon.

Giant Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies

from The Pastry Queen (I kinda looooove this book)

Print this Recipe!

makes 1 dozen 4-inch cookies or 2 dozen 2-inch cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup vegetable oil, such as canola or sunflower oil. I used almond oil.

1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus additional for sugaring tops

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract, or the seeds of 1 vanilla bean

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, or foil, or grease generously with butter or cooking spray.

Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter in a large bowl on medium speed for about 1 minute. Add the vegetable oil. It may not fully incorporate with the butter, but that’s ok. Add the granulated sugar, powdered sugar, egg and vanilla, beating on medium speed until each ingredient is completely incorporated.

Stir in the flour, baking soda and salt all at once using a wooden spoon or the mixer set on low.

The dough will be soft.

Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour or freeze for 15 minutes just so it’s easier to handle.

For large cookies, dollop 2 Tablespoons of cookie dough onto the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. For smaller cookies use 1 Tablespoon for each cookie. Press the dough evenly with your fingers or palm to 1/4-inch thickness. Generously sprinkle sugar on top of the cookie dough.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes for larger cookies or 8 to 10 minutes for smaller cookies. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before transferring to racks to cool completely. The cookies will keep for up to 3 days if stored in an airtight container.

A PSA from Joy the Baker

joythebaker — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:58:36 +0000

Vote.

Vote for whomever you like.

Just vote. It’s important.

Please and Thank You.

Sugar Cookie Recipe and an ooooold school Joy the Baker post right over here.

The Sweetest Week- Ever.

joythebaker — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 09:28:34 +0000

You, no doubt, didn’t miss a thing this week in the word of food and blogging. But in case you blinked, here’s a synopsis of some of my favorite mouth watering edibles found in the foodie blogger’s world.

Linda at ButterFlourSugar rocked the Casbah with Carmel Honey Pecan Slices. The recipe is a breeze, besides the fact that it’s in grams and I’m a stupid American incapable of conversion. Luckily, my baking scale is smarter than me, and can help me out.

Katy at SugarLaws showed off with a Apple, Honey, Goat Cheese Tart. Now the question is: do you eat this tart with a small side salad, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream? After much thought and deliberation I’ve decided that the only decent option is to have a slice with a small salad and wash that down with another warmed slice topped with vanilla ice cream. Delicious!

Deb at Smitten Kitchen is a master of all things delicious. She didn’t disappoint with her Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Squares. Ok- these left me with stars in my eyes. If there were a bank filled with D de L Cheesecake squares, I would rob it, and I wouldn’t feel bad… at all.

Want to make Valentine sugar cookies? The recipe is a hop, skip and a jump away.

Thank you to all you talented and hungry people who make my life a whole lot sweeter!