Sugar Cookies For The Win!

Ok here is cookie post number three. I decided on sugar cookies because they are also a classic christmas cookie staple. I have to be honest, sugar cookies are my least favorite cookie ever. I would say I like them a little better than oatmeal raisin. Actually out of all the christmas cookies, sugar would definitely be on the bottom. Since I enjoy baking for others, I chose sugar because I know people like them, and I figured I could practice more with royal icing. I also wanted to split the dough and do something different and make red velvet sugar cookies. Red velvet flavored anything to me screams Christmas and it is a flavor that I enjoy. I love red flavored things. I think they came out great.

Yummy Sugar Cookies

Sugar Cookie Dough

• 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature (226g)
• 1 cup sugar (200g)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (315g)
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

Combine butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl and use an electric hand mixer) and beat until creamy and well-combined.

Butter Butter Butter

Add egg and vanilla extract and beat until completely combined.

There is an egg in there you just can't see it.

In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

Gradually add dry ingredients into wet until completely combined.

Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and transfer approximately half of the dough onto the wrap (dough will be quite sticky at this point, that's OK!).

This is where I added some red velvet emulsion for flavor and color to the remaining dough

Cover with clear wrap and mold into a disk.  Repeat with remaining cookie dough in another piece of cling wrap.  Transfer dough to refrigerator and chill for at least 2-3 hours

Once dough has finished chilling, preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Set aside.

Generously dust a clean surface with flour and deposit one chilled cookie dough disk onto the surface.  Lightly flour the dough and roll out to 1/8" (for thinner, crispier cookies) or 1/4" (for thicker, softer cookies).  Continue to add flour as needed both on top of and beneath the dough so that it doesn't stick.

Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes and use a spatula to transfer shapes to prepared baking sheet.

I had leftover dough so I marbled it together to make these

Squirrel Friend

I really love these cut outs

Bake on 350F (175C) for 9-10 minutes, or until edges just begin to turn lightly golden brown.

Allow cookies to cool completely on cookie sheet before moving and frosting.

Now Decorate

cute squirrel with a scarf

moose with a scarf

snowy trees

close up of the sprinkles

snow moose cookies

I love these sugar crystals

Pretty Sugar Cookies

Raspberry Linzer Cookies

Now enjoy some yummy christmas cookies, next cookie will be Thin Mints.

Red Velvet Macarons For The Win!

Ok I was bored and said that I would not be baking macarons, but I was bored and decided to make these. Well I was thinking about making galaxy macarons or red velvet and my friends thought red velvet would be better. I'm glad I listened to them, because these were amazingly delicious. They came out beautiful, and I tweaked them a bit with sprinkles. Check these beauties out

Red Velvet Macarons

They have that delicious red velvet chocolatey taste, with a yummy cream cheese buttercream filling. I don't know if it's a southern thing but I always feel happy when I have red velvet anything. So if you are a fan you should definitely try these out. You only need a few extra ingredients added to a basic macaron recipe and bam you are done. Let's start with what you need. 

Red Velvet Macaron Shell

• 65g of Almond Meal
• 65g of Powdered Sugar
• 50g of Room Temperature Egg Whites
• 50g of Granulated Sugar
• 5g of Cocoa Powder
• 3 Drops of Red Gel Food Coloring

Cream Cheese Buttercream Filling

• 1 Stick of Unsalted Butter (Room Temperature)
• 1 8oz Package of Cream Cheese (Room Temperature)
• 2 cups of Powdered Sugar
• 1 tablespoon of milk 
• Sprinkles (optional)

First you need to sift the almond meal, cocoa powder and powdered sugar together in a large bowl and set aside

Take your room temperature egg whites and beat them on a medium speed until they become white and frothy, slowly pour in your granulated sugar. Your egg whites will start to form soft peaks continue beating your eggs until stiff peaks form. This is also a great time to add any gel food coloring.  ( I set a timer this should take about 7-8 minutes on medium speed)

When your egg whites form stiff peaks stop, your egg whites should clump in the middle of the whisk.

Beautiful Red Meringue in stiff peaks

Now add in your dry ingredients and carefully fold ingredients together (about 50 folds if you are counting) stop when you reach a lava like consistency or when it ribbons off of your spatula

Place your mixture in a piping bag. I like to place my piping bag in a tall cup because it is so much easier that way.

Pipe out 1.5 inch circles on a parchment lined baking sheet. I then placed little multicolored sugar sprinkles over the top.

cute sprinkles

let the macarons rest a bit

Preheat your oven to 295F.

Bang your tray against the counter to release those hidden air bubbles and let these macarons dry on the counter for about 30 minutes ( I like to leave mine out 1 hour). Gently tap the side of a macaron to see if a shell has formed, they are ready to go in the oven when they are dry to the touch.

While you are waiting for those to dry lets make the filling.

Take your butter and place it in your mixer and beat for 4 minutes, you will notice that the butter will turn a pale yellow color and increase in size.

Then add in the softened cream cheese and continue to whip on medium/high speed for 2 minutes.

I then added the powdered sugar to the cream cheese butter mixture ( I sifted it first because I like it smooth) then whip a bit more, till smooth

This is the fun part, I decided to add cool sprinkles, you don't have to follow this step, but I had a ton of sprinkles lying around.

Sprinkles, Sprinkles, Sprinkles!!!

So after that I filled a disposable piping bag with some of the filling. It actually made quite a bit of buttercream so I placed the leftovers in a ziplock bag and popped it in the freezer (There is no need to throw away extra buttercream, they last 3 months in the freezer, just take them out to come to room temperature before using again)

Place the piping bag full of buttercream in the fridge while your macarons are baking.

Ok, place your macaron shells in the 295F oven for 14 minutes total. Rotate the tray halfway so after 7 minutes.

Everyone's oven is different so just keep an eye on them, when they start to peel off of the parchment paper they are done. I then leave them on the hot baking tray for 1 minute and then slide the macarons on the counter, still attached to the parchment paper, for about 2-3 more minutes.

I then match them up with a top and a bottom of similar sizes and get them ready to fill, don't pay attention to my ugly nails, hahaha. Oh and look at the close up of those pretty sprinkles. 

Match up the macaron shells

The sprinkles on top kind of made a wrinkly appearance on top, but overall they baked wonderfully.

Take your buttercream out of the fridge and pipe the cream cheese buttercream on one side of the macaron and sandwich another macaron on top. 

Voilá you have a red velvet macaron. I then place all my assembled macarons on a tray and place in the fridge for 24-48 hours. This is maturing your macaron and it makes them taste amazing. Then when it's time to eat them let them come up to room temperature. They taste so much better then.

After 24 hours refrigeration