Crunch time for cookies??!!!

I have a sugar cookie recipe that always comes thru for me in a crunch......need decorated cookies in a flash? Well this recipe is great because you don't have to chill the dough! And the icing recipe will dry shiny and hard so that the cookies are stackable even though they are decorated! I don't have a picture to show you because I haven't made any yet, but I am sure I will be making some.....remember Google images is my best friend!! ;)

Here's my favorite sugar cookie recipe:

Easy Roll Out cookies

3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 t. vanilla

2 t. baking powder

2 3/4 cup flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with electric mixer. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. (may add butter extract here if using margarine) Add baking powder and flour (mixed together first) one cup at a time, mixing after each addition. The dough will be very stiff; blend in the last flour by hand. Do not chill. Dough may be tinted with paste icing color for colored cookies. For chocolate cookies, stir in 3 oz. melted unsweetened cocoa. If dough is too stiff, add water a teaspoon at a time.

Divide dough into two balls. On a floured surface, roll each ball in a circle about 12" in diameter and 1/8 inch thick. Dip cookie cutters in flour before each use. Bake cookies on ungreased sheet on top rack of oven for 6-7 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. If you like cookies that are more like tea cakes, make the cookies a little thicker.

Cookie Icing Recipe (dries to a glossy, hard finish and tastes good, too!

1 c. sifted confectioner's sugar

2 t. milk

2 t. light corn syrup

Place sugar and milk in a small bowl. Stir until mixed. Add corn syrup and mix well. For filling in areas, use thinned icing (add small amount of corn syrup until desired consistency). Tint with paste icing color or very small amount of food coloring.

This is a Wilton recipe and I've used it for years.

Edited to add --my kids are having friends over tonight and decorating cookies is on the FUN agenda....so perhaps I'll show you some of theirs tomorrow! Big kids still love decorating cookies, too!
We've got the chili going on the fire, and I'll make rice and cornbread to accompany. Wanna come?



Also a fun treat to make for kids is Snowman Soup. Psstt, it's really hot chocolate mix.


Mix up some hot chocolate mix or open envelopes of pre-made mix and add to a ziploc bag. Add in a few miniature marshmallows, a few hershey kisses of your choice (remember those bad, bad peppermint ones??? mmmm.....) and add a peppermint stick or candy cane for stirring. Attach this poem, and decorate package as you wish. Ok, I didn't have time to take pics or make a tutorial, so you're on your own here. We call this YoYo at my house, especially when it comes to fixing your own dinner night. YoYo= your on your own, get it???? ;)



So here's the cute little poem for Snowman soup. You can package it with cute snowman stickers, stamps, cute ribbon, etc. Even when it's yoyo night, mom has ideas for possibilities!



Snowman Soup


I was told that you’d been good this year
Always glad to hear it.
With freezing weather drawing near
You’ll need to warm the spirit
So here’s a little Snowman Soup
Complete with stirring stick
Add hot water, stir it slowly
It’s sure to do the trick!

Ingredients: Hot chocolate mix,
Snowballs, Snowman kisses and
Stirring stick




Ok, I'm a lazy crafter and time-crunched, so I googled Snowman Soup and there are all manner of graphics to use for this recipe. Does that me an expert if I can refer you to all the right references??? hmmm.....i doubt it.


Some examples:

These and many more are all available by searching Google Image.....my best friend. Merry Christmas Ya'll!!!