Raspberry Sugar Cookies

    Happy Holidays!  How was everyone Christmas?  Did Santa bring you what you wanted?  I did not want anything for Christmas this year but to spend quality time with my family and make sure my two girls were happy.  And guess what I scored!  My youngest daughter made sure she reminded me every hour that we have to make cookies for Santa.   I could not let my munchkin down and fail as a supermom, so me and my daughters headed to kitchen to bake up a storm.  

    The normal person will bake Santa some chocolate chip cookies.  Nope, not me.  If Santa is visiting my house he have to get something extra special and not the norm.  Hey we want extra gifts over here! The first thing that came to my mind is gingerbread cookies.  But then my oldest daughter got too excited and said we can make a gingerbread house.  Um yeah but I do not want to go back out to the store in all that madness to get more candy.  Sorry love, we going the simple way - sugar cookies.

 I used my favorite sugar cookie recipe from Bake at 350.  But we did not want to go to simple.  Due to the time and other tasks I had to do I know I could not decorate the cookies with royal icing.  I took another approach and make some raspberry preserves to add in the middle.  I took out my circle crinkle cookie cutter and we had a blast in the kitchen.

Vanilla - Almond Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

3 cups unbleached - all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup sugar ( stored with vanilla beans)
2 sticks salted butter, cold and cut into pieces
1 egg (it can be cold)
3/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. pure almond extract

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2.  In a medium size bowl sift flour and baking powder, set aside.
3.  Cream sugar and butter for five minutes.  In a separate bowl whisk egg and extracts.  Pour egg mixture in the sugar mixture.  Mix until combined.
4.  Gradually add the flour mixture and beat until combined.  Scrape down the bowl and the bottom.   The dough will be crumbly.  Knead together with hands as you scoop it out the bowl.
5.  Take a sheet of wax paper and about 1/3 of dough and cover with another sheet of wax paper.  Press dough down with your hands a little bit .
6.  Roll dough to about 1/4" to 3/8" thick and cut out with your desired cookie cutter.  I like to dip my cutter in flour so it does not stick to the dough.
7.  Place parchment lined baking sheets on a baking sheet.  Freeze on the sheet for 5 minutes before baking and then bake for 10-12 minutes.  Cool for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.


Recipe adapted from Bake at 350