Quite a few years ago, and I really can't remember when, I came up with the crazy idea of not just making one or two different kinds of cookies or candies to give away during the Christmas season, but to make 12 different varieties, now known as the "12 Sweets of Christmas". Once Thanksgiving had ended and the tree had been put up I begin the monumental task of mixing, baking, dipping and wrapping up the 12 goodies into tins to give as gifts to family and friends. Sometimes I wonder what I have gotten myself into, but everyone seems to love my tins packed full of goodies and I think I would have a revolt on my hands if I failed to follow through on my yearly tradition.
This year I figured I would share all my recipes and photos of each of the sweets and here is #11.
#11 Grandma Larson's Soured Cream Sugar Cookies
The name for this recipe should actually be Great Grandma Larson's Soured Cream Sugar Cookies. I was fortunate to know my great grandmother and can remember visiting her along with my mother and sister. She lived to be almost 100 years old and I think of her often as I bake her scrumptious recipes. Though, the term recipes should be used loosely. My mother had to convert her recipes to our modern days usage. One of my favorite phrases is "enough flour to make a soft dough".
These sugar cookies use cream (whipping cream - don't skimp) that you let sour naturally or sour with a bit of vinegar. It is a great way to use that leftover whipping cream you forgot to finish off and sits lurking in the back of your fridge. They are so soft and the flavor is wonderful. They are truly the best sugar cookies I have ever tasted. I hope you agree.
Grandma
Larson's Soured Cream Sugar Cookies
1
C Butter
2
C Sugar (scant)
1
C Cream (soured)
2
Eggs
1
t Baking Soda
1
t Vanilla
Salt
4
C Flour
-chill,
roll out, bake
Mix up your dough a day ahead of time, cover and chill in the refrigerator. This dough is quite sticky and keeping it chilled helps in rolling it out.
Lightly flour your work surface and your rolling pin.
Divide the dough into the amount you can manage - about a third.
Roll out your dough to about 1/8" to 1/4" thickness.
Lightly flour your cookie cutters and cut out the shapes. Before placing the cookies onto your cookie sheet, try to remove the excess flour by tossing the cookie back and forth.
Decorate with colored sugar....
or with candies.
My youngest decorated the Santa cookies.
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| I make all of my own colored sugar (except red). Add sugar to a bag with a couple drops of food coloring. |
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| Mix the sugar and food coloring by squishing the bag until the sugar is completely colored. |
Bake the cookies at 350 for about 7 minutes and cool on a rack.
Once you have cut out all of your cookies you will have quite a bit of leftover dough. Toss the dough to get as much of the flour off of it and then form it into a ball. Roll it out and cut more cookies. Because this dough has added flour they are not as soft and fluffy as those from a first rolling. Therefore, I do not decorate these cookies before baking, but frost them instead.
I mix up a cream cheese frosting for these cookies and add a bit of almond extract for flavoring.
1 Stick of Butter
8 oz. Cream Cheese
Powdered Sugar
1-2 t. Almond Extract
Food Coloring
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