Mollie Bakes: Sugar (joy) Cookies
When I was hours into my Thanksgiving baking (the holiday season kickoff event) and couldn’t fully quantify how much butter and sugar I’d already used, I then decided it was appropriate to add another recipe into the mix and make one more cookie for the festivities. I pulled from my baking drawer, once again, more butter (from the fridge), sugar, eggs, GF flour, and everything else to make... sugar cookies! 🤗
Some may say that the sugar cookie is a blank canvas, urging us all to cover the ultra-plain rounds in multi-colored frosting, a billion sprinkles, some glitter, and call it a day. Or maybe art. I’d call it a (artful) mess.
Please note, before you get angry at my mess-disgust, this bold statement doesn’t apply to kid-made cookies. I applaud any and all creative work done by kids in the kitchen. Everyone calm now? Good. I’m sure the cookies your kids decorate are beautiful.
What I find most attractive about sugar cookies is that they’re basically born for that less-is-more look (a fashion mindset I fully support) and can be pretty darn classy without a whole lot of decorating effort.
Let’s be honest: I usually stick to non-decorating-required cookies because my art skills are far more similar to the kids I mentioned above. But I digress...
Friends! Put away the extra decorations and edible sparkle (save those for another holiday), my favorite way to decorate a plain, delicious sugar cookie is to slather it in buttercream (who wouldn’t?) and toss the sprinkles on them as effortlessly as possible (easier said than done). Voilá! Minimalist decoration and maximum deliciousness.
The result of my adding sugar cookies to the aforementioned Thanksgiving bake-off were some of the happiest holiday cookies to delight kids and adults of all ages in the mood for a classic treat with a splash of fun via rainbow sprinkles. And who would say no to that? 😏
Details!
Treat: Sugar Cookies with Homemade Buttercream and Rainbow Sprinkles
Source: The Cookie Book by Rebecca Firth (Find her on Instagram @displacedhousewife).
Tip: Make sure to use gluten free flour for baking! We use Cup4Cup Gluten Free Flour which works like a charm. Please be aware that Cup4Cup is not dairy-free. Also, make sure to buy sprinkles that are labeled gluten free, which is entirely possible. :)
Review: A recipe worth keeping tabbed for every holiday or any happy event! These cookies will win over everyone with their cheerful appearance, delightfully sweet flavor (but not too sweet!) and upbeat design.
The dough recipe makes enough for a big crowd so after I split the dough in half, I kept the second dough-disc wrapped in the fridge for future baking. Conveniently pre-made for another cookie-baking adventure!
Of note, the buttercream recipe (from the same book) was exactly enough for a full (half) batch of the dough. So when it’s time to use the other half of the dough, I’ll just need to whip up more buttercream which is joyfully simple to do.
While the dough requires chilling to firm up, it also requires coming to room temperature before using a cookie cutter to cut out the shapes, chill again, and then bake. And then fully cool before applying the buttercream and sprinkles.
You would be correct in thinking that this is not a quick activity. So plan your day accordingly! I’d recommend making the dough in the morning, letting it chill through the day, take it out a while before you’re going to begin baking, and then consider frosting/decorating for a pre-dinner (or post) activity in case you need to do a bunch of other errands during the day which I’m sure you do because it’s December!
Who doesn’t have 274745 things to do, gifts to buy, cards to send, friends to see, and more every single weekend?
You’re not alone! I am right there with you on the too-busy-to-bake-but-I-love-it frame of mind. Lack of time will never stop me. What’s the joy of the holiday season if you’re not frosting sugar cookies into the wee hours of the night, while also mentally preparing for the next thousand tasks? 🥳
Mollie Bakes: Embrace the usually-hectic holiday season and bake these sugar cookies. Sure, they’re fairly involved, but only in the sense of taking up a lot of time. When it comes to baking and decorating, they’re a piece of cake. 😉
If you love cookies, then you may enjoy...
‘Tis the Season!
Access the Holiday Gift Guide, here!
Stay tuned for my next baking venture... coming soon!
Gluten Free Mollie D | Eat, well.