I’ve been living without a functioning kitchen now for over FOUR months now. This means no cooking and no creative outlet. Since I cannot bake or cook or do much else creatively speaking (because everything is on its way from Jordan and isn’t set to arrive for months), and given that I’m at home from work due to the storm, I searched through my pictures of Halloween’s past to reminisce about the beautiful cookies that I could have been baking and decorating if I had a full larder and was equipped with my cookie making supplies.
In case you’re inspired enough to want to bake, here’s the recipe for the cookies and the icing:
No Fail Sugar Cookies
Preheat oven thirty minutes before you begin. (This recipe makes a lot of cookies, so I usually cut the recipe in half or save half of it to freeze and use later.)
Ingredients:
6 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract or desired flavoring (I like almond myself)
1 tsp. salt
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Mix dry ingredients and add a little
at a time to butter mixture. Mix until flour is completely incorporated and the dough comes together.
Chill for 1 to 2 hours (or see Hint below)
Roll to desired thickness and cut into desired shapes. Bake on ungreased baking sheet at 350
degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until just beginning to turn brown around the edges. This recipe
can make up to 5-dozen 3” cookies.
HINT: Rolling Out Dough Without the Mess – Rather than wait for your cookie dough to
chill, take the freshly made dough and place a glob between two sheets of parchment paper.
Roll it out to the desired thickness then place the dough and paper on a cookie sheet and pop it into the refrigerator.
Continue rolling out your dough between sheets of paper until you have used it all. By the time you are finished, the
first batch will be completely chilled and ready to cut. Reroll leftover dough and repeat the process! An added bonus
is that you are not adding any additional flour to your cookies.
Royal Icing
Makes 3 cups of base consistency icing
3 3/4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
3 T meringue powder
6 T warm water
Beat 4 to 5 minutes
By hand, stir in optional flavorings and desired tints.
Add 8 T of warm water if you want flow consistency.
Jen Maan in Amman 
Love the day of the dead cookies! The kids want to make sugar skulls tonight but I might have to steer them in this direction instead.
Please post pictures if they do make the cookies. I would love to see them!
Wow! What a GREAT idea on pre-rolling all the dough at once! I too love almond flavoring for my sugar cookies. Take a look at my recipe and instruction sheet that I developed with years of hints for making fantastic cookies. I will def be updating it to include the pre-rolling idea!
http://buggalcrafts.wordpress.com/2012/01/17/cookie-cutters-not-just-for-cookies-anymore-post-12-cut-out-cookies-holiday-or-no-occasion-at-all-make-your-own-cookie-cutters/
Oh those day of the dead cookies will get me every time.. Raj, stay away from my cookies….They look as your mother would say , Adorable……but the taste… Could call them “Day of the dead STORM cookies… Stay well and keep cooking with your limited supplies…Joep
Thanks, Dad. We’re saving yours for your upcoming visit.
Jen, the cookies are amazing. You are very artistic and and they look beautiful. Who gets to be the recipient of these pieces of art. I must say they are too pretty to eat. Mom
Thanks, Mom, and thanks for the Register’s article. The skulls were very cute and a possible source of inspiration.
Why is there now an ad on your site? Are you getting paid? If so, I am jealous!! If not, what’s up with that??
I don’t see the ads and no I’m not getting paid.
I just KNEW you would do day of the dead – I love your little DOD crafts etc… but these cookies are beautiful! How in the world are you going to let people eat them? Great job!
Thanks. They actually taste good too.
I google +’d it and LOTS of people like them too! 🙂
I wish we had friends who’d invite us to dinner after they’ve eaten (multiple times) here! What is WRONG with folks? They seem to have a really good time here, scarfing up lots and lots of food but are there invitations back? No, ma’am. Did we do something between the time you left our house thanking us profusely and the time you thought about, maybe, having some people over.?And, yes, I also wish I had some friends who bake. Growl.
Maybe I’m posting this twice but I’m irritated enough not to care. Not only don’t I have friends that bake and swap cookies, I don’t seem to have friends who invite us to their homes after they’ve eaten here (multiple times). Sick and tired of that but not ready to sign off entirely on entertaining because I enjoy it, both ends of it, only I’m just doing one side!
I totally hear you that’s why I obnoxiously said I wish I had myself as a friend. I love entertaining too but the efforts are never reciprocated. Nonetheless, I continue to knock myself out, wondering when I’ll find someone who does the same. We need to be neighbors!
Woo hoo! Glad you posted your recipe so I can try it. I do not like the one I have 😦
Sorry about the nasty storm. I hope you and Raj are okay back East.
Let me know if you like them. The storm was not too bad.
I look forward to getting back into cooking properly too when I finally get home to Australia! I hope your stuff on its way from Jordan arrives safely.
Also, Jen, I just wanted to let you know I’ve nominated you and your fascinating blog for the One Lovely Blog Award! You can pick up your badge and read the info/rules on how to pass on the torch at: http://digibron.wordpress.com/2012/12/04/one-lovely-blog-award/
Enjoy! 🙂
I need a recipe for an after school class I teach and this one looks perfect! Thanks for sharing. http://bmoreenergy.wordpress.com 🙂