Having one tasty , yet versatile cookie recipe for cut out sugar cookies cookies , slice and back butter cookies, Thumbprint cookies and more makes holiday baking so easy. This lovely cookie with a hint of almond, is th perfect blend of soft sugar cookie & a tradiontial butter cookies. The flavor is perfect for young and young at heart.
This cookie recipe really is that one Vanilla cookie recipe to keep on hand for all your cookie baking needs! The key is the almond extract to help it have a bit more depth of flavor. Also to follow a few tips to make it successful.
Jan's Tip's:
- Use cold butter, straight from the refrigerator.
- Chill your dough as soon as it's mixed for 30 minutes.
- Use as little flour as necessary for any rolling & cutting.
- Your goal in baking time is NO light browning, pull out cookie after approximatelyl 7-9 minutes, look for a slightly underdone cookie. It will finish baking while it cools on the warm pan.
This cookie dough can be rolled out and cut with cookie cutters for decorating.
as we do with our grandchildren every year.
They may be rolled into 1 1/2 inch wide long logs and chilled before slicing into small rounnds and baking for a lovely butter cookie, my favorite it to drizzle with chocolate adn sprinkle with almond slices, or dip half the cookie in chocalate. hmmm.. I wonder if I cut them thinner and made jam sandwich cookies out of them??
Roll into 1 inch balls and press center with thumb for thumbprint cookies. Fill with raspberry, Strawberry, apricot, or my favorite: Cranberry -Orange Marmalade.
Next try? I am going ot see about making them snickerdoodled.. I believe they will be really yummy!
What else can we make with this dough?
Let's get baking!
Versatile Vanilla Almond Cookie
Ingredients:
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 sticks (1 cup salted , cold butter , cut into chunks.
1 egg
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
1 tsp Almond extract
No salt needed since using salted butter.
Instructions:
Preheat over to 350 degrees F.
Line cookie sheet with silicone backing mat (or parchment paper)
In mixing bowl mix sugar and butter 1 -2 minutes till it is fluffy. (you want it light in texture don’t skimp on your mixing time here.)
Add in egg and both extracts, mix to blend.
On low speed of your mixer add in flour, baking powder, just until blended, do NOT over mix here.
On lightly floured surface, work dough into a smooth ball. You want dough to feel like playdough, not sticky and not crumbly after you smooth it into a nice ball.
Roll out dough for cut out cookies on lightly floured surface, or roll dough into balls for thumbprint cookies (then press center and fill with ¼ tsp. Jam, . For slice and bake cookies roll into two 1 ½” wide logs approximately 6 inches long each. Slice ¼ “ wide .
Place cookies on prepared baking sheet , and place sheet in freezer for 10 minutes.
Place slightly frozen cookies into middle rack of oven. Bake 7- 9 minutes approximately.
They should seem slightly underdone when removed, to rest. They will finish baking and set
While cooling. (no browned bottoms or edges!)
Remove to cooling rack after 5 minutes or so. Complete any decorating.
