Sugar cookies have been (and remain) a treasured tradition in my home of upbringing. The family recipe goes way back, before my grandma, possibly before her grandma... most likely descended from some genius Danish pastry-maker who has ultimately revolutionized the world of cookies. And my mother is a present-day master of this art.Valentine's Day, Halloween and Christmas are the holidays that inspire these superior morsels. The cookies aren't easy to make so it's usually a group effort; I've tried by myself and they're never quite the same. The dough requires mixing, refrigerating, repetitive rolling, addition of flour or milk to maintain the right consistency... In the end, the cookies themselves have a sweet (but not too sweet) flavor, unrivaled by any other sugar cookie. They're light and flaky, but never crumbly. Soft but never chewy. Hold up to milk-dipping, but are never hard or crunchy. They literally melt in your mouth.
The element that puts them beyond "perfect" is the decorating. The frosting, (which is really more of a glaze), is simply butter, milk and powdered sugar. Generous (unmeasured) portions of these three ingredients mixed together to desired consistency (which is fluid enough to spread easily and make smiley faces - but never runny). Oh - and just a dash of vanilla. This frosting never gets hard or crusty, and seals in beautifully the taste of the cookie. Chocolate chips, M&Ms, candy corns and sprinkles add their sweet character to complete the masterpiece which is this cookie.
If you are one of the special few who receive Christmas tins of cookies from Ed and me each year... you do not get these cookies. We shamelessly hide them in the freezer and intentionally do not share. If you accidentally see them sitting out on our counter during a visit, make no mistake - they are not for you. If you ever do have the honor of experiencing such a cookie, you should consider yourself family.
Come to think of it, I do believe I will exercise my family privileges right now and have myself a yummy cookie...mmmmmm... What sacred cookies hide in YOUR freezer??
8 comments:
whatever ya like; this week for my peeps at AWANA, it's peanut-butter. You know the ones where the fork-ridges are brown and crumbly and the center is almost chewy? Yeah, those ones.
thepeeps:Kristi/Kelli/Jenny-Any-Dots/Carla/Kara-Jo
I can't wait.
Kristi, me neither. Oh, but I think we're going to be heathens, skip out on AWANA, and go trick-or-treating!
Hmm, it's a toss-up...Swampy's cookies or door-to-door candy...
V, I knew the sugar cookies were special to you, but I really didn't get the full magnitude until now.
The cookies never make to the freezer. Right now our favorite is pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting laced with almond extract. Look out the pan is half gone within an hour or so. I can't make these unless I am going somewhere. YUMMY!
Holy Land Garlic Dip- I actually hide it under the bacon, thinking my meat averse sister will not find it. She does, and then laughs at me, but she leaves it alone. What a good sister.
Garlic dip - is that some kind of secret code word for a yummy cookie? ;-)
I'm like Brandy--Rich and I fight over spicy hummus.
Yes, we hide it from each other.
This is wicked funny. And here I thought our cookie bake's were the best - til I had some of yours at the Over the Rhine Christmas concert at the 400 Club. Do you remember that? Mmmm...good music, good cookies. I can understand why they are tucked away to be savored.
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