Sugar Cookies and Meringue Gingerbread People

Did I mention that I have been baking? I am starting to feel like I might be a little sick from all the dough, the sugar and the chocolate. Oh well, these are the sacrifices one has to make all in the name of Christmas. In the last few days I have made 5 different kinds of cookies, 1 gallon tin of caramel corn, 2 praline pull apart breads, 4 loafs of pear, cheddar bread, a batch of chocolate covered cherry,cranberry,cashew,and pistachio nut clusters and one batch of chocolate covered fairy food! I still have a stack of recipes to go…

Both of these recipes are delicious. One is my standard sugar cookie recipe with a little twist, and the other is completely new to me, and is now a favorite.

Deluxe Sugar Cookies

by Betty Crocker

1 cup butter softened

11/2 cups of powdered sugar sifted

1 egg

1 tsp of vanilla

1/2 tsp almond extract

21/2 cups of flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cream tartar

Mix together butter and sugar. Add egg, vanilla, and almond extract, mix well. Blend in flour, baking powder and cream of tartar. Cover and chill 2 to 3 hours. Heat over to 375. Divide dough in half and roll each piece to 3/16 inch think. Cut into desired shape, sprinkle with sugar( unless frosting). Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until light brown on the edges.

Zimt Sternen

2 cups powdered sugar

3 large egg whites

grated zest of 1 lemon

1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon

2 cups of almond flour/almond meal

Directions: Sift the powdered sugar into a bowl. Add egg whites, lemon zest and cinnamon. Mix at high speed using an electric mixer until the mixture is thick and shiny about 5 minutes. Transfer 3/4 cup of this mixture to a bowl, cover tightly and set aside. Add the almond flour to the remaining meringue and stir to make a soft dough. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside until the mixture is stiff enough to roll out, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350. On lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into shapes(usually stars) then spread some meringue onto the center of each cookie and spread to the edges.

Bake until the glaze is set and the tips of the cookies are barely brown about 1 minutes. Cool on sheet for 1 minute, transfer to wire rack. Continue until dough is used up, you can re roll the scraps.

I would love to hear about what you are baking and making! If you have a must try recipe then email or comment and let me know. I really like trying new things. If you try any of my holiday recipes let me know.

Tomorrow I am guest posting at The Enchanted Home, I am very excited because it is my first guest post. If you do not know The Enchanted Home, you are in for a treat! The blog is a diary of the building of Tina’s dream home and frankly it is a work of art. Come over and check it out! 

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Stone Gable

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