Sugar Cookie Secrets

No Comments | Written on December 6, 2011 at 11:00 am, by Rebecca Coleman

courtesy of Rebecca Coleman

For many years I tried, in earnest, to bake sugar cookies worthy of gift giving. When my kid was super young, I’d hand over homely little things and “blame” the sloppiness on the kid. “He got carried away with the sprinkles!” I’d say as I hung my head low and prayed that they, at the very least, tasted good.

Last year, I invited my professional baker friend over to help me unlock the mystery of pretty cookie making. She asked me to make the cookie dough several days in advance. She insists good refrigeration is essential to the process (all butter-based doughs need to be kept cold).

When she came over, she also had icing supplies in tow. (Here’s a good recipe for classic royal icing.) We worked together to roll out the dough—thicker than you’d think—and had the kids cut out the shapes. We popped them in the oven and set the timer. When it buzzed, my friend took only the cookies that looked perfect off the cookie sheet and left the others to bake, checking on them one minute at a time. (I have never thought of doing that!) Each cookie came out perfect.

When they cooled, she taught me about flooding (covering the entire surface of the cookie with icing) and then suggested I put the kids in charge of the “sprinkle station,” where they put clear sprinkles on each of the cookies. (They could get as messy as they wanted, and the cookies still looked great and sparkly!) This is the first “giftable” cookie I’ve ever made. And the kids couldn’t be more proud for their hand in it.

If you prefer a drop cookie to the rolled and cut-out variety:

Watch this video: How to Make Sugar Cookies from Scratch

• Christmas Cookies (Choose from dozens of sweet holiday treats)