Sugar Cookies

The last time I attempted sugar cookies I think I had one kid?  Maybe?  I might have had a second.  Anyway.  Last time, the dough just didn't ... take.  I think I followed a pretty well reviewed recipe.  But I messed something up and the dough just stuck to the rolling pin in sticky clumps.  Think biscuits.  It just ... wasn't right.

So this time ... well it's probably more a factor of better understanding of cooking basics in general.  I'm a much better cook in general than I was when I started life independently.  I've even grown to enjoy it, on occasion.

So this time when the dough didn't do what I thought it should (cream properly) - I added more butter and another egg.  I figured if I botched it I'd end up throwing it all out anyway better to at least try and save it.

And it did.  I'm really not sure how the recipe (as written) could possibly work.  It needed double the butter.  Had it.  With that much flour?  I don't know.  Either way.  With the additional butter it worked much better.

And - thank you Alton - using powdered sugar on the rolling pin instead of flour made all the difference.  Last time I used flour.  This worked much better.

Then for the frosting.  You might have guessed that these are all in an effort to spread some Christmas cheer to my wee ones, and you'd be right.  When G comes home from school they shall decorate and be merry.  We shall have pizza for dinner.  We will watch Home Alone on the big screen (media room).  We will have popcorn and sugar cookies decorated with sugar frosting and sugar sprinkles.

Anyway.  So the frosting.  No way am I making that.  Who has time?  Plus - it was totally on sale so I bought one red, one white and one green.  And you know what I did?  I took plastic sandwich bags and placed a scoop in, cut a corner, and I frosted those cookies.

I'm like a real live baker!

I have never been a good baker.  Never.  In the ten years I've been married I've burned more cookies than I care to admit (usual chocolate chip).  The fact that these turned out and that I found a semi reasonable way to decorate them without a use mess is a win!

Oh and sweetie D up there.  He is such a joy to be in the kitchen with.  He loves it.  And do you know why he loves it?  He loves licking the bowl and stealing "tastes".

"Can I taste it, mommy?" he says with twinkly eyes because he's half afraid I'll say no and he is pretty sure that this is kind of a special treat.  And I hand him the mixer and he licks it all off and I took it from him and he says "hey I'm not done!" but I took it anyway and handed him a larger piece of dough.

He has a larger appreciation for food.  And while G enjoys cooking with me he doesn't have the same joy.  Making these cookies made me very happy.

Oh and I did a lot of it one handed holding a baby.  Because that's how I roll.