The holidays are over.  The tree has been taken down.  The decorations have been carefully packed and stored away for the next Christmas season.  This holiday season was filled with memories of friends and family gathering together to celebrate and share the most important gift we can give.  Time together.

It wouldn’t be a celebration without food.  Food memories; that connection to a holiday is big part of our experience we have though out our lives.  Whether it be sweet honey glazed ham at Easter, the smell of a roasting turkey at Thanksgiving, or the aroma of spices in gingerbread at Christmas.  We’re transported back to those memories we associate with our past.

Growing up not celebrating Christmas.  I’ve wanted to create traditions for myself, my partner, and my family.  Drawing from what I imagine to be those food memories and traditions to create our own unique experience.  And being able to share those experiences and create a special memory for my friends and family.

Making Rolled Sugar Cookies has been part of the experience for years I’ve celebrated Christmas.  Buttery, rich, sweet, and tender.  You’ll find this recipe for Rolled Sugar Cookies a snap to make.  No worries about over working the dough either since there is very little moisture coming from the egg yolks.  Little hands can help out in the kitchen, mixing the dough and cutting out the shapes.  A Snowflake cutter this year to create 2 dozen cookies.  Royal Icing was used to pipe and flood the top of the cookie and then finished with tinted Royal Icing to create the unique patterns on each cookie.

The cookies were enjoyed during a the very first Gingerbread House decorating party where family, family friends and 7 kids gathered to enjoy each others company and build new memories the Sunday before Christmas this year.

What ever the shape or the finish of your cookies, your friends and family will be sure to tell you “they’re too pretty to eat!”

Equipment:

• Measuring Cups/Spoons, Digital Scale
• Mixing Bowl
• Wooden Spoon
• Plastic Scrape
• Plastic Wrap
• French Tapered Rolling Pin
• Cookie Cutters
• Half Pan Sheet Trays
• Parchment Paper

Sugar Cookies

• Measure       Grams         Ingredients
• 1 cup              226 g.        Butter (room temperature)
• 1 cup              226 g.        Granulated Sugar
• 1 tsp.               2 tsp.        Vanilla Extract (pure)
• 4 each              4 ea.         Egg Yolks (large)
• ¼ tsp.             ¼ tsp.        Sea Salt (finely ground)
• 2½  cups         334 g.        All Purpose Flour (unbleached, unbromated)

Preheat oven to 350° degrees.

Mixing the dough:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar and beat together with a wooden spoon until the mixture is light and fluffy. (creaming method)
2. Add the vanilla, egg yolks, and salt. Continue beating until that mixture is light and fluffy.
3. Add the flour and stir it in until the soft dough forms. Once the dough becomes to hard to stir with a spoon, mix with your hands until the dough comes together.
4. Take the dough out of the bowl and knead by hand on an un-floured surface until well blended.
5. Shape the dough into a flat disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Rolling and Cutting:

1. Remove the disk of dough from the refrigerator.  Unwrap the disk of dough and place on a lightly floured surface.  Lightly flour the top of the dough.  Starting in the center of the dough, roll from the bottom edge to the top edge.  Turning the dough with each roll.  This will prevent the dough from sticking to the surface.  Roll the dough until it is 1/8-inch thick and even in thickness.
2. With your choice of cutter cut out the shapes and place on a parchment lined sheet trays.
3. Bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes or until the cookies are light golden brown on the cookies edges.
4. Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool on the sheet tray for 15 minutes before moving to wire rack to cool completely before decorating.