5 Days of Holiday Goodies! Day 1 ~ Soft Batch Sugar Cookies!

This is the time of year that I just love to get in the kitchen and whip up sweet treats to pass out to family and friends as holiday gifts. And I am going to allow myself to be a little big headed here, but my treats are always so well received that everyone looks forward to getting a box of my goodies! Year after year, I tend to stick with the most popular yummies, and I want to share my favorite holiday recipes for your baking pleasure :) For the next 5 days I will have a post of the goodies I tend to pass out each year. I hope you enjoy them as much as my family and friends do!

Soft Batch Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter *Real Butter, not margarine*

1/2 cup Crisco Butter Flavor shortening

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking poweder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

additional sugar if desired for sprinkling over cookies.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

In a mixing bow, cream butter, shortening and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Mix well. 

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and baking soda. Gradually add to the creamed mixture.

Roll out dough to desired thickness. (Mine are usually around 1/4 inch thick.) Using cookie cutters, press firmly into the dough until the cookie has passed all the way through. 

Place each cut out on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 6 to 7 minutes. *The cookies will look like they aren’t completely baked. This is when I like to pull them out, then let them finish baking on the cookie sheet out of the oven. You will get a much softer cookie this way! If you like, sprinkle additional sugar on cookies while they are still cooling. If you are going to ice them, skip this step.

Let cookies cool completely, then decorate with icing as desired. (I use the Royal Icing recipe found on Wilton's website)

 Enjoy!

What's your favorite cookie?

Soft Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love having visitors in my home. I always try and make them feel as welcome as possible, and I find that supplying guests with good food and drink always makes them want to come back for more. If you were to come to my home I'd have a batch of these chocolate chip cookies ready and waiting for you. Unfortunately, since this is online and not my real home, I can do the second best thing and give you the recipe. Hands down, these are the best soft batch chocolate chip cookies I have ever had and get compliments and requests for them at every gathering or holiday function. Enjoy!

yield: 2 Dozen CookiesAuthor: Theresa M.print recipe

Soft Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies

prep time: 12 MINScook time: 8 MINStotal time: 20 mins

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup butter *real butter, not a spread*
• 1/2 cup Crisco Butter Flavor Shortening
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1- 12oz package semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, combine soften butter with shortening, sugar and brown sugar and vanilla. Beat until creamy. Beat in egg. Gradually add flour mixture and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Scoop a little more than a tablespoon into the palm of your hand and roll into a nice tight ball about an inch and a half in diameter. (I don't drop them onto a cookie sheet by the spoonful. They bake much better when rolled into a ball.)
3. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 8-10 min. Note: I take them out of the oven before they start to turn dark! (I usually pull them out right at 9 minutes. They don't look done, but they will finish baking on the cookie sheet once it's removed from the oven.) Do not double this recipe, or they will not bake soft. You can also make this recipe for bars too. Spread dough into greased 9x13 inch pan. Bake them at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 15-20 minutes.

http://www.theresasmixednuts.com/2011/11/soft-batch-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

Created using The Recipes Generator

Tip: I don't use a cookie scoop. My sister in law did and her cookies turned out flat. I like to scoop out about a tablespoons worth of the dough, then roll it into a tight ball into the palms of my hands and then bake, like so: