Friday, July 4, 2014

4th of July Cookies



Happy 4th of July everyone!!! This is my first 4th of July actually living in the US! After all the immigration hoops we've had to jump through (just to move 1 hour across the border from BC to WA) I am especially excited to celebrate this wonderful country.

Made my favorite sugar cookie recipe for these, along with my favorite recipe for sugar cookie icing. This is the kind of icing that pipes beautifully and dries hard and shiny so you can stack the cookies. It is also delicious!



Wishing you all a safe and happy day! God Bless America!!!

Rolled Sugar Cookies
Makes 60

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

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Best Sugar Cookie Icing
Makes enough for 20 cookies

2 cups powdered sugar
4 tsp milk
4 tsp light corn syrup
dash of vanilla

1. Combine all the ingredients and mix well until smooth.
2. Divide into separate bowls and add food coloring as desired. (I prefer gel or paste food coloring. It is more intense and doesn't water down your icing).
3. Best used immediately as it will harden if left out. You can microwave it to soften it if it starts to harden while you are working.