Pastry School Diaries: Soft n' Frosted Sugar Cookies

Congratulations, you now have your go-to cookie recipe for kiddie birthdays, school parties, treats for those obscure people who claim they don't like chocolate (personally I don't believe them), or when you are just plain in need of the perfect soft sugar cookie. And let me tell you they are easy to throw together, affordable, and when decorated with food coloring and sprinkles, they are dressed for any party.

I think I had the most fun planning the color of the frosting and sprinkles to match my serving dishes. How very Sandra Lee, I know. Well, minus the matchy matchy outfit, coordinating kitchen curtains, and her booze-a-licious cocktail concoctions. If I wasn't pregger, that last one might be a different story.

This recipe came from a very close family friend, my Mom's best friend growing up (and still today!) Chris. Chris is the ultimate dream co-worker for anyone with a sweet tooth. She works as a communications officer for the Pennsylvania State Police (911 emergency, how can I help you?). Almost weekly she bakes up amazing desserts for her co-workers, simply for the pure reason she loves to bake. And like me, she loves to share and spread the love. And it's always best to get treats out of the house asap to avoid any late night binging.

I made these for my son's last day of school. Okay so he's 2 and the kids probably have no idea it's their last day...or it's summer...or that they were home made with lots of love but it doesn't matter. I'm sure the teachers appreciated them at least and and Lord knows they need all the love we can give them.

Soft n' Frosted Sugar Cookies
makes about 5 dozen (depending on how big you scoop em')
printable version

Ingredients

For the Cookies:
2 cups granulated sugar
8 ounces butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup buttermilk

For the Buttercream Frosting:
8 ounces butter, room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons heavy cream (milk is fine)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

gel food coloring
sprinkles

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Add the eggs (one at a time) and vanilla extract to the butter mixture, beat until incorporated. Alternately add the flour and buttermilk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the flour.

This is my new favorite tip! To avoid a kitchen flour catastrophe from the mixer, cover with a kitchen towel before turning on when adding flour. This works great when making frosting with powdered sugar too.

Give your dough one last mix using a rubber spatula making sure there is no flour left at the bottom of your bowl.

Using a cookie scoop, place roundfuls of dough about 2 inches apart on either a greased or lined cookie sheet. Bake for about 8-10 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden in color. Mine took 11, so it will just depend on your oven.

Remove from oven and allow cookies cool for 5 minutes on sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To prepare the buttercream frosting, first sift your powdered sugar to remove any lumps. It's great if you have a little extra help with this step

Cream together butter and sugar. The mixture will be lumpy.

Add the heavy cream and vanilla extract and beat on high until you've reached a smooth and creamy consistency.

Also good to have a taste tester at the point

If you are going to color your frosting, separate into bowls (depending on how many colors you want to make). Add the gel food coloring slowly until you've reached the desired color.