Confession.
I have a sweet tooth.
It would appear that I passed that trait down to my children.
Sorry, boys.
Baking sugar cookies ranks pretty high on my list of activities I love doing with my kids. Maybe if I was really good at decorating them, I might want to shoo the boys away and do it myself.
But I'm not.
As in, I'm really bad at decorating cookies... turns out, it hasn't really been an issue. Phew.
I have a recipe that is so darn good no one cares if they aren't perfectly frosted.
Oh, and my frosting... you will be in heaven.
Birthdays, Christmas, Valentine's day... we will use any excuse to make a few dozen of these cookies! They are called "Sweet Cream" because of the heavy whipping cream and sugar combo... very indulgent!
I do have a few little tips before you get started. First, buy some parchment paper or silicon baking mats. If you skip, the cookies will be so stuck to the cookie sheet that they will break when you try to lift them off. Trust me, it will make life so much easier for you.
I also only bake cookies on air bake cookie sheets. It helps them to bake more evenly. My last tip is not to roll the dough too many times. The cookies will be tough. I usually won't roll the same dough more than twice. To reduce waste, I have mini cookie cutters and we make tiny cookies with the extras. They boys love having home made 'animal' crackers (well, today we went with flowers).
Sweet Cream Cookies (makes about 24 cookies)
+ 1 ⅓ Cup butter, softened
+ 1 ½ Cup granulated sugar
+ 2tsp baking powder
+ ½ teaspoon salt
+ 2 eggs
+ 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
+ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
+ 4 ¼ cups all purpose flour
plus one recipe of frosting
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large mixing bowl beat butter on medium to high speed for thirty seconds. Add granulated sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat until combined, scraping the bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, cream and vanilla. Beat in the flour, a little at a time. Divide dough into two balls. Wrap the dough balls in plastic wrap and place them in the fridge for at least thirty minutes to chill.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the first ball of dough until it is about ⅛ - ¼ inch thick. I like my sugar cookies to be closer to ¼ inch. Using cookie cutters, cut into desired shapes and place on parchment lined cookie sheet. The cookies will grow during the baking process, so leave plenty of space between them!
- Bake for 9-10 minutes or until edges are firm and the bottoms are barely light brown. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
- Frost and decorate!
Sweet Cream Frosting
+ 2 pounds powdered sugar
+ 2 teaspoons vanilla
+ ½ cup butter, softened
+ 1 bar of cream cheese, softened
+1 ½ to 2 ½ tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- Combine the butter and cream cheese in a mixer with the whisk attachment. Blend until smooth and fluffy, about two minutes.
- Slowly mix in the powdered sugar, scraping the sides as needed.
- Pour in the sweet cream and vanilla. Beat until smooth and fluffy.
Left over icing can be saved in the fridge for up to two weeks. Usually I end up with about 2 cups extra! It is great on cinnamon rolls, french toast and pretty much anything! I double dare you to put a tablespoon in your coffee.
Store the cookies in a single layer in an air tight container. They will last for a week, but by day three they will begin drying out. We sometimes freeze them for later and that works fine, too!
Well, now that I've blown your New Year's diet, I promise to try posting something more healthy next time <3
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