Sugar cookies

The other day my boyfriend was talking to a friend of ours and she was saying how much she wanted sugar cookies. My boyfriend replied "well talk to devan and place your order." She didn't ask because others might think that is presumptuous. However, I do not. All I want to do is bake and I need people to give my baking too. So I contacted our friend and asked her what she wanted. She was delighted that I would make her cookies and she didn't care what theme or colours her sugar cookies were. I had to get creative and think of something. I asked my boyfriend what theme would be good, I suggested organ because our friend recently had her appendix removed. My boyfriend insisted X-files themed cookies were the way to go.

and so, OFF I WENT!

I used the sugar cookie recipe from "The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook" it's from the 1980's and my mom got it for me at a flee market. It is full of cooking and baking tips. It's a little out dated but I love it. I used the royal icing recipe from Joy of Baking.

Sugar cookies:

3 1/4 cups AP flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

2/3 cup shortening 

2 eggs

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt 

-In a large bowl mix all the ingredients together stopping to scrap the bowl occasionally.

-once it is all well mixed together, form it into a ball and wrap it in wax paper.

-place it in your fridge for 2-3 hours until it is a good consistency to work with.

-preheat your oven to 400 and lightly grease your cookie sheets

-take out half of the cookie dough and leave the rest in the fridge

-roll out the dough to the thickness you like. thiner = crispier, thicker = softer.

-use whatever cutters you like, or a knife to make your own designs. place cookies on cookie sheets.

-once you have done all the dough you can either brush the cookies with cream and put on toppings, or you can leave them like I did and bake them as is. bake for 8 minutes.

For my cookies I used margarine instead of shortening, and I did not put salt in. My dough was also a little too dry so I put two drops of half/half cream, I happened to have out, on my fingers while I was working the dough into the ball and it made it a perfect consistency for me. I baked the first batch for 8 minutes and they were a little to brown on the edges, and the second batch I baked for 7. I have a really old gas oven so it's very finicky. Just watch your cookies and when they look yummy to you take them out. If you cook them longer they will become harder.

Once the cookies are out of the oven let them cool completely on a wire rack.

When they are cool you can decorate them.

Royal Icing:

2 egg whites

2 tsp lemon juice

3 cups of confectioners sugar.

and whatever colouring you want the icing to be!

then have fun and be creative!

and after making the X-files cookies I had to design a few for myself of course.