Gorgeous Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies can be tricky.  I've tried several recipes only to have shapeless blobs come out of the oven.  It's frustrating - but the kids will still eat them.

The recipe I finally found success with was by Wilton.  The original recipe calls for almond extract.  While this is a gorgeous nutty flavor, some may not care for it and when making it for nut-sensitive friends I modify the recipe.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter , softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

I also don't put salt in my cookies.  Some will say that this effects the rise on the cookies, but I have found that it isn't necessary.  From here I followed the directions provided by Wilton for mixing and baking the cookies.

Be sure to cool your cookies completely.  If they are even the least bit warm your icing will run off and make a huge mess.

Blissfully Domestic provided me with the most successful recipe for icing the cookies.  When making the "flooding" icing (the icing that covers the entire cookie) be sure to add VERY small amounts of water.  I added a bit too much to my yellow batch and it was very thin.  The icing should barely run off your spoon to flood.  I found that to coat the cookie but be thick and opaque you'll need to place some icing on the cookie and gently encourage the icing around the cookie to fill it.  When I made the icing runny enough to "flow" on the cookie it was much too thin, soaked into the cookie and was thin and transparent (required another layer).  

For my fall foliage cookies (pictured above) I lined the edges of the cookie with a darker, thicker icing.  I then flooded the cookie with a paler, thinner icing.  I left the cookie to dry completely (about 20-30min).  Then using the same icing as the edges I put the central veins of the leaves on and sprinkled colored sugar onto the wet icing.  I used a silicone basting brush to clean off the extra sugar (very gently).  Left to set (again about 20 min) and then boxed for storage until I served them at my daughters fall garden festival.  Once the icing is set you can gently stack the cookies without having the icing transfer.

I didn't get as clean a line on the maple leaf shape cutter as I did with the oak leaf cutter.  Experiment with your shapes and just remember - kids will eat any cookie, even if they come out a little abstract.

Project for your little car-lover's room

This was a very easy project to make.

Supplies:
Inexpensive plastic-bodied toy cars (matchbox size)
Hot Glue
Hot Glue Gun
Shadow Box
Picture hanging hardware
Picture hanging hook
hammer

Source your supplies as your budget allows.  The cars were a gift to my son from last Christmas.  He had over 200 cars and I couldn't handle cleaning them all up any more.



I had him select the cars for his special letter.  Allowing him to participate in the craft made the separation from his toys much easier.

Test you layout before adding glue.  My son helped arrange the cars by color and enjoyed being able to decide how his letter looked.

I found that to make the cars mount properly I needed to place hot glue in each wheel-well to lock the wheels first.  Glue on the center of the car just didn't work for keeping it stuck to the backing.  Then I glued the wheels to the backing of the shadowbox.

Allow for the glue to cool completely.   I waited an hour.  While you are waiting you can install the hanging mechanism on the back of the shadowbox frame.  I choose a simple picture hanger nailed to the frame but you can also use eye-screws and picture wire if you wish.  After the cars were set and the glue fully dried I placed the backing into the shadowbox and then hung in my sons room.