Powdered Sugar Cookies

While I love to decorate cookies for any occasion, I must say that creating baby shower cookies is one of my favorite baking projects. The pastel palette is incredibly appealing and the colors look lovely in any combination. Plus, it’s impossible to decorate adorable teddy bears and baby buggies without a smile on your face. The cookies can be taken home as favors or set out as part of the dessert table; either way, they make a wonderful complement to the other shower decorations.

This week’s recipe is a close adaptation of a popular sugar cookie from Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book. I still have my 1963 copy of this classic cookbook and it is well used; many of the pages sport butter and chocolate stains, and a few are breaking loose from their spiral binding. On one such page is the recipe for Mary’s Sugar Cookies. The original recipe uses confectioners’ sugar for a fine-grained texture and includes cream of tartar, which gives the cookies a depth of flavor that sets them apart from other sugar cookies. I decreased the baking soda to control the cookies’ spread while baking, and switched the almond extract for lemon because it complements the tanginess of the cream of tartar. Enjoy these simple yet delicious cookies at a shower or any time, just as a treat.

Ann
Ann Clark, Ltd.

Powdered Sugar Cookies
Makes about 16

The amount of sugar in this recipe may seem like a lot, but because confectioners’ sugar is much lighter than granulated, the cookies are just right—not too sweet.

Cream together:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Beat in:
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Add:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Mix until all ingredients are well blended. Chill dough 2 to 3 hours before rolling.

Preheat oven to 375º. Roll dough out on a lightly floured counter to 1/4-inch thickness and cut with your favorite Ann Clark cookie cutters, then transfer cookies onto cookie sheets that have been lined with parchment paper or silicone liners. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly colored. Let cookies cool slightly on cookie sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Decorate with royal icing or buttercream, or eat just plain.

My favorite shapes for Powdered Sugar Cookies include the Baby Carriage cookie cutter, the Teddy Bear cookie cutter, and the Rubber Ducky cookie cutter.