Baking for the Firemen: Heirloom Vanilla Sugar Cookies
It was time to bake for the firemen again and this week’s Food Blogger’s Challenge food was Vanilla Extract. Not exactly a food per se but I could certainly make it a star in something I was baking. For this I didn’t invent a recipe I turned to a most marvelous cookbook, Pure Vanilla. I must admit that had it been another time of year I might have taken the time to play but given all of the fruits and vegetables staring at me awaiting processing, I needed a recipe I knew would work first time out.
Heirloom Vanilla Sugar Cookies
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 tsp PURE VANILLA EXTRACT
1/4 cup vanilla sugar (sugar with vanilla bean casings. If you don’t have vanilla sugar you can use regular sugar but there will a slightly less strong vanilla flavor to the cookies.)
coarse rainbow sugar or other decorative sugar
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Preheat oven to 350°
Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.
In a medium bowl whisk together the oil and egg.
In the bowl of your stand mixer cream the butter, sugars and vanilla extract on med-high until fluffy and light in color – about two minutes. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the oil/egg mixture until smooth. Slowly add the dry ingredients until just incorporated.
The dough will be soft.
The recipe says to roll the dough into balls but I used my small scoop. (I also rolled them in the vanilla sugar before I put them on the baking sheet.)
Place on baking sheet 2″ apart. (The recipe called for dough balls of 2 TBSP but mine were smaller so I didn’t space them that far apart.)
Take a flat bottomed glass, dip it in the vanilla sugar and press the dough balls down.
Sprinkle with decorative sugar. Oooh, pretty!
Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the sheets about halfway through. You want to pull them out just as they begin to brown at the edges.
Let them sit on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack.
Makes 4 dozen using a small scoop. The recipe indicated 3 dozen with the 2 TBSP balls.
Truly yummy cookies! Crunchy, crumbly with a true vanilla flavor. This cookie is going to be all about the vanilla so be sure to use a quality PURE vanilla extract. They were perfect with a glass of milk.
The firemen loved them. I sent most of them in for the training meeting of course. I HAD to taste test a FEW.
Right?
Other Cookie Recipes:
Homemade Sandwich Cookies
Chewy Molasses Crinkles
Thumbprint Cookies
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