Sugar Cookies are the Devil!

I have learned something. Apparently sugar cookies are insanely hard to make. Well, maybe not quite that crazy hard, but still. I found them very challenging. I do not like it when things in the kitchen don't go the way I want them to. So this was a very frustrating experience. However my former professor Paula asked me to make some for the Death Cafe she was hosting that I was honored to help facilitate. They were supposed to be pretty and look like sugar skulls, but they didn't turn out very pretty. I was embarrassed that I couldn't provide a prettier cookie, but apparently everyone thought they tasted great.
So here goes, maybe you'll be able to learn from my mistakes.
I used this Alton Brown recipe, however I did modify it. I will be giving you my modified recipe.

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour Altered: 3 1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar Altered: 1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon milk

Altered: Splash of Vanilla Extract (approximately 1 teaspoon)
Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough

 

I was very surprised to find the recipe didn't contain vanilla extract, so I added it, and increased the amount of sugar and flour to get the right consistency of the dough.

 

Start with your cup of unsalted butter, this is usually 2 sticks of butter. (When baking always try to use unsalted butter as it will help you control how much salt is added to your recipe.)

 

Cream your butter. It's usually helpful to cut it into smaller pieces first. I use my trusty kitchenaid stand mixer.

 

Next add your cup and a half of sugar, this helps the butter get creamed nicely too.

Add a tablespoon of milk. Always mix well between ingredients. I used whole milk because that's what I have at home. I don't think it particularly matters which kind you use.

Get your egg.

Always make sure you crack your eggs individually into a separate bowl. You do this, so that if you have a bad egg you can just throw it out. If you cracked a bad egg into a bowl that already contained other ingredients, those ingredients would be tainted and you would have to throw them all out.

Now add your vanilla extract. Because I'm a huge vanilla fan I pour a large swig. You can either follow suite, or stick with the teaspoon.

Add your 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

Now add your 3/4 teaspoon of baking powder.

Now add your three and a half cups of flour. Remember to add them bit by bit so you don't have flour flying all over your kitchen.

Mix all ingredients thoroughly. The dough is the right consistency when it starts coming off the side of the bowl.

The dough needs to be chilled for at least two hours. I spread out a sheet of parchment paper so wrap it up.

Dump the dough out on it, and shape it into a flatish square or circle.

Wrap it up and throw it into the fridge.

Now go hang out and watch some netflix. Or start a batch of limoncello as I did (Recipe to come). You can also make the dough in advance and make the cookies the next day, or whenever is convenient.

I received a marble slab from my aunt and uncle as they weren't using it. I believe it's designed to make candy on. I actually put mine in the freezer. It might not have been the very best idea, since it was so cold it actually made the dough sweat. Once it wasn't crazy cold it actually helped with rolling out the dough.

I sprinkled the surface with powdered sugar instead of flour so the dough wouldn't become as tough.

I love this thingy. And no, I still don't know what it's called, but it's the best thing for sprinkling flour, or in this case sugar, evenly on a surface.

Roll out your dough to about 1/4 inch thickness.

Paula bought me these fabulous sugar skull cookie cutters/stamps.

Sadly the cookies didn't hold their shape very well, and I am not artistic at all, at least not in regards to drawing, painting, decorating, etc.

I just ended up up glazing them.

Glaze Recipe:

1 cup powdered sugar

4 teaspoons milk

1 teaspoon almond or vanilla flavouring

Mix with a fork.

Glaze and let harden.