Recently I got some Portal cookie cutters from ThinkGeek and wanted to share the recipe given with the box, plus with an additional twist. If you like sugar cookies that are crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, then try the following recipe (I also included the original recipe in case you were interested) :
Sugar Cookies
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 1/2 sticks (203 mL) unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg (but I used 2 medium-sized eggs)
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
– Makes 2-3 dozen cookies (depending which cutters you use).
– Bring ingredients to room temperature before you begin. If you’re in a rush then put butter in a microwave for 5-10 seconds until you can make a dent with a finger. Avoid melting the butter.
– Sift together the flour and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
– Beat the butter until about creamy. The recipe says to beat on high for about 2 minutes, but I mixed it with a spatula.
– Slowly add the sugar to the butter. If you microwaved the butter, then add the butter with the sugar and mix until light and fluffy. Remember to scrape the sides occasionally If you’re using an electric mixer, reduce mixing speed to medium while adding sugar.
– In a small bowl, whisk egg(s) and vanilla, then add to the butter mixture and continue to stir. If using an electric mixer, beat for about a minute.
– Stop the mixer and add about half of the flour mixture. Stir until most of the flour has been absorbed. If using an electric mixer, beat on low about one minute.
– Add the remaining flour. When most of the flour has been absorbed, start kneading the dough with your hands. If using an electric mixer, beat until flour is absorbed and dough starts to separate from the sides of the bowl, about 2-3 minutes.
– Once mixed, divide dough in half. Shape each into a ball and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Overnight (approximately 8 hours) worked nicely.
– After 2+ hours, remove dough from fridge and let stand for 5 minutes. I waited about 15-20 minutes after chilling for 8 hours.
– Flour your working surface while you wait. Pull out reasonably-manageable sized balls and roll out the dough to 3/1601/4” (4.5-6mm) thick. If dough is sticking then add flour around the rolling pin.
– Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
– Cut your desires shapes out using the Portal Cookie Cutters. If you find the dough sticking to the cutter, dip the cutter into flour before using it on the dough.
– Use a spatula or carefully use your hands to transfer cookies to the baking sheet. Space the cookies 1/2-1” (2.5 cm) apart. Sugar cookies don’t flatten a lot.
– Bake until cookies are golden brown around the edges, 10-15 minutes (but if you like them softer, try for 8-10 minutes). If you’re baking multiple sheets at once, rotate them 180 degrees halfway through baking time.
– Transfer baking sheets to wire racks to cool for 5 minutes.
– After 5 minutes, transfer cookies to racks to cool completely. I suggest using your kitchen fan to cool them faster. It took about 10-15 minutes; in this time I rolled out more shapes.
– Once cookies are completely cooled, decorate as desired. See below for decorating tips. I used a toothpick to decorate; it took me forever, but they looked more clean than whatever I could achieve with a handmade piper (which I didn’t have all the pieces for). Plus you got a smoother look by using a toothpick. The recipe I used took at least 15 minutes to cool the icing sugar completely.
– Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Icing
I actually haven’t found a really good recipe yet. The one I used was a bit bland and odd-tasting (confectioner’s sugar, egg whites and the appropriate food coloring). But browneyedbaker had a great guide on how to decorate cookies! These tips really helped with the ‘flooding’ idea.
Pro Tips
– I do not use an electric mixer for any of my mixing. I find it messy and a pain to clean up; and although it takes me longer to mix, I usually know when to move on. Try to avoid over-mixing; when adding more ingredients to the mixture, it does not have to be fully mixed before hand. For example, when I add eggs and vanilla to the butter mixture, I make sure there are still a bit of chunks left so that I avoid over-mixing the butter mixture.
– If you decide to use 1 egg and your mixture looks dry, adding an egg will make your cookies puffier while adding milk will make your cookies flatter and crisper.
– Cooling down sugar cookies before decorating is extremely important. If some cookies are too flat, they may burn or over-cooked, so you can always test your recipe out by trying them out.
– When I messed up decorating, I munch it to see if the combination of icing sugar and my cookie dough worked out nicely. After all, you want to display the beautiful cookies! Plus, I like to eat, so why not eat the ones that aren’t quite as presentable?