Cookie Baking Party!

First off, I discovered the BEST sugar cookie recipe EVER from Vegan MoFo. I’ve seriously made it 5 or so times since I found it and and holycrap. Delish. One of the only traditions we had each year growing up was a sugar cookie making party in December where all our friends would come and make anatomically correct snowmen (once we learned about such things) and decorate them/eat them until we never wanted to think about cookies ever again…until next year. My Mom and I would make all the dough and people would come bring extra rolling pins and decorate cookies all together, basically taking over the kitchen and dining room.

It was great, because it got everyone cooking and baking even if they didn’t know how to cook. Sugar cookies are also a pretty neutral base as you can put whatever flavor you like on top and call it a day! I only altered it this year by asking everyone to bring a topping or couple bucks in exchange for the ingredients I bought for the dough, since, well, I’m not rolling in money (unfortunately). This ended up being awesome as everything was a surprise!

Let me re-iterate though, this sugar cookie recipe was fabulous. Usually I don’t even like sugar cookies. Usually they’re just a vehicle for transporting large amounts of chocolate chips into my mouth. But this was so good! I’ve tried to re-create the non-vegan recipe I used before, but this equaled and surpassed that, so win! There’s almond meal in the recipe, which must be the secret. I put my substitutions below, which were really just all-purpose flour instead of pastry flour and almond meal that was already made with the skins.

Sugar Cookies / “Butterplätzchen”
from Islaborg

– 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
– 1/4 cup sugar
– 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. margarine
– 1/2 – 3/4 cup ground almonds/almond meal
– 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 180° C / 375° F. Combine all ingredients and knead/stir in a mixer until smooth and uniform. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in fridge. When ready to use, it worked for me better to let the dough warm up a bit, then roll it out and cut into cookies. Use flour to dust the dough to keep it from sticking to the rolling pin. I used parchment paper as my workspace on the table. The dough WAS a bit crumbly, so don’t be discouraged. It’ll all workout fine in the end! Bake for 8-10 minutes on a lightly greased baking tray, try covered with parchment paper, or my new favorite thing…my housemate’s Silpat Baking Sheet.

And now, photographical evidence!

Charlotte made hot pink and green icing! I’ve never iced cookies before! They looked pretty!

My attempt at icing. Very intent. Serious business here.

Very blurry robots! And a bunny! Think outside the cookie cutter.

Okay really I would just like to point out my AWESOME ROSEMARY X-MAS TREE, but my friends and the cookies are cool too.

Ahem. To the top right is my “Princess Cookie” with sugar pearls and silver sugar. Then we have my Gay Rainbow Egg cookie and my house with really straight lines with coconut snow and a gay roof cookie. I ate these ones last.