Build a fun tradition with your kids...
Sugar cookies are an integral part of many families' holiday activities, whether you make them from scratch, or from a purchased dough, or from a mix. Decorating provides an amazing time of bonding, with creativity able to be demonstrated at every level. I'm always amazed by the new and wonderful sugar cookie designs displayed on magazie covers during the Christmas holidays, and the reality is that there are cutters, equipment, presses, and applications for every imaginable holiday or event.
I have a high school friend who has stepped into her own custom cookie business, shipping logo cookies and one of a kind gifts and favors, all over the place. I have a relative who incorporates elegantly designed and decorated pieces into her cake decorating business. And I have creative children, who work with me to create unique confectionary designs and concepts for our own use, eating and gifting. While gingerbread houses are our absolute favorite, we've taken it to another level in recent years, creating a comparable sugar cookie house recipe. The tips and tricks we've learned apply to making sugar cookies from scratch, as well.
I have a high school friend who has stepped into her own custom cookie business, shipping logo cookies and one of a kind gifts and favors, all over the place. I have a relative who incorporates elegantly designed and decorated pieces into her cake decorating business. And I have creative children, who work with me to create unique confectionary designs and concepts for our own use, eating and gifting. While gingerbread houses are our absolute favorite, we've taken it to another level in recent years, creating a comparable sugar cookie house recipe. The tips and tricks we've learned apply to making sugar cookies from scratch, as well.
Make sugar cookie dough from scratch, for a variation on traditional gingerbread houses.
Ingredients
- 5 to 5 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup shortening
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/4 cups light corn syrup
- 2 eggs, beaten
Procedure
- Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly.
- Melt your shortening in a large pot (I use my stockpot for a double recipe) until it is just melted, then remove from heat.
- Add sugar, then corn syrup, then eggs, mixing well after each addition.
- Cool your ingredients, then add 4 cups of the dry ingredients (8 if you are doubling) and mix well.
- Sprinkle about half of your remaining dry ingredients onto a hard surface (my tabletop works best) and pour your dough out onto the surface. Begin kneading the dry ingredients into your dough. Continue to add dry ingredients, kneading until you have a firm dough.
- With a sturdy stand mixer, you could probably do much of this in the mixer, rather than by hand.
- You can prepare to bake right away, or refrigerate your dough for up to a week. Allow ample time for dough to come to room temperature before using.
- To use, roll dough to 1/4" thick, and cut (variations on this procedure will be given)
- Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes
- Allow to cool, and decorate!
Baking and Cutting Techniques
Note that parchment paper is extremely helpful in confection baking of all sorts, including when you make sugar cookies from scratch. The only time I don't use parchment paper is when I've run out. I cut a section to fit each baking sheet I will be using, and re-use until I'm finished baking for the day. This alleviates the frustration of sticking, and makes for a much easier cleanup.
When you roll out cookie dough on a board or mat, there is potential that the cut out shape will stretch when you move it to the baking pan. I usually use a thin metal spatula to transfer my cut outs, but if precision is important, as in a confection house, this is not my preferred method. However, if you are making shapes which don't have to be precise, such as hearts or snowmen, then this is fine.
When you roll out cookie dough on a board or mat, there is potential that the cut out shape will stretch when you move it to the baking pan. I usually use a thin metal spatula to transfer my cut outs, but if precision is important, as in a confection house, this is not my preferred method. However, if you are making shapes which don't have to be precise, such as hearts or snowmen, then this is fine.
Dealing With Scraps
Since I try to stretch my recipes out for multiple houses, I often roll my dough much thinner than the recommended quarter inch. Usually, I will roll my dough directly onto the baking sheet/parchment paper, and cut out my shapes there. Then, I remove scraps, and toss them into the "recycled scraps bowl"...they will be put together with all the other scraps, rolled out again, and made into shapes. Because the rolled out dough gets tougher, I try not to mix scraps with the fresh, unrolled dough.
If you are doing a bunch of houses, or tons of from scratch sugar cookies, you will inevitably get ahead of your supply of baking sheet space, in terms of having more pieces ready to bake than will fit at a time. I find it sensible to have lots of parchment sheets cut to size in this case, ready to fit into the baking sheet, easy to remove the whole shebang when it comes out of the oven. This makes your project more time efficient, though you will use up a little more paper. In my economy, that's alright!
Still another approach, the one I've adopted with houses, is to bake the dough as a whole sheet. I roll onto the correctly sized parchment paper, and pre cut the pieces, without removing scraps. When the dough is sufficiently baked, I re-cut, and then allow them to cool a few minutes before removing...premature removal can cause precise shapes to get tweaked a bit. The cutting can be done, the parchment paper holding the cookies can be removed intact from the sheet, and the next batch put in place to bake.
You can also do your first and only cutting in the baked dough, provided you move quickly. However, this leads to rough, crumble laden edges. This was my approach last year, but I have since discovered that pre-cutting leads to a tidier outcome.
You can also do your first and only cutting in the baked dough, provided you move quickly. However, this leads to rough, crumble laden edges. This was my approach last year, but I have since discovered that pre-cutting leads to a tidier outcome.
Shapes
Math teacher by trade, I love unique shapes, and recently considered some from scratch projects involving creative shaping. This led to a great brainstorming session with my kids, and lots of trial and error.
However, we found that a sharp knife can allow for creative shapes to be made. Use the knife to "draw" your shapes freehand, and when the baking is complete, separate while still warm.
The thinner you have rolled your dough, the quicker you will have to move on this.
However, we found that a sharp knife can allow for creative shapes to be made. Use the knife to "draw" your shapes freehand, and when the baking is complete, separate while still warm.
The thinner you have rolled your dough, the quicker you will have to move on this.
Decorating Techniques
Decorating techniques, whether you make sugar cookies from scratch, or from purchased dough, are wide and varied. It can be as simple as purchased decorating materials from the baking aisle of your grocer, or as complicated as my friend's elaborate logo designs. That will be the topic of another hub, another day, perhaps many hubs. If you want a great, simple Royal Icing Recipe, here's mine! Beyond that, the sky is the limit!
Cookie Cutters and From Scratch Sugar Cookies
Cutting out shapes is an integral part of the process, much fun for the whole family, and a fantastic educational experience, with an especially wonderful opportunity to explore the concept of "conservation". It doesn't need to be a formal study, though it could. However, you can observe your children's ability to notice what a similar quantity of sugar cookie dough will allow for, with regard to the shapes and sizes. Discuss the number of small cookies, large cookies, or gingerbread house panels that you can get out of a certain sized ball of dough.
Observe the kids spatial understanding, and notice the difference with which each child places their cutters. Which children are more proficient at getting more cookies from one rolling out of a dough ball? This child is probably more of a visual learner. You will notice a difference if you let this happen naturally, not dictating the cuts. You may never have considered a sugar cookie recipe to be as useful in educational insights as this, but I find it fascinating to watch how my different children approach such activities. You can find lots of cookie shapes and sizes, whether for holidays, or for every day!
Observe the kids spatial understanding, and notice the difference with which each child places their cutters. Which children are more proficient at getting more cookies from one rolling out of a dough ball? This child is probably more of a visual learner. You will notice a difference if you let this happen naturally, not dictating the cuts. You may never have considered a sugar cookie recipe to be as useful in educational insights as this, but I find it fascinating to watch how my different children approach such activities. You can find lots of cookie shapes and sizes, whether for holidays, or for every day!
