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no-spread sugar cookies

3/3/2021

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Looking for a new sugar cookie recipe? this one checks a lot of boxes. Almond-y flavor? Check. Soft texture? Check. Won't spread? Check. In fact, this is the perfect recipe for when you need to use a dough that won't spread and distort the shapes in your cookies. You'll notice there's no leavening other than what's provided by the egg.

We're not sure this was needed for these cookies - we might have liked the shamrocks to spread a little to connect better. But we think these photos illustrate how well the dough keeps its shape. 


This recipe requires chilling, so it's not a super quick one. But it keeps in the fridge for a few days, so there's no reason not to make the dough one night and do the cutting and decorating with the kiddos the next day or later. Like they'd wait. :)

You have the option of keeping the cookies plain, as shown, or decorating with crusting buttercream, royal icing, or a simple glaze. Feel free to add color to the dough as we did. And of course, sprinkles. You can always use sprinkles.

These cookies are best in the first couple of days if not iced; maybe 4 days if iced. We usually freeze half the cookies after we cut them out. Our preferred method: first freeze on a tray, then transfer frozen cookies to a zip bag. They will keep in the freezer for a couple of months and make it easy and fast to bake and decorate cookies with your family. Or just for you.

ingredients

  • 1 cup (114g) unsalted butter , softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons almond extract
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon table salt (half that for kosher)
  • 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour
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directions

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and salt and set aside. We like to use a flexible silicone bowl.
  2. In your stand mixer fitted with SideSwipe or your flat paddle, cream together butter and sugar. Begin on low speed, then increase speed to medium high. This should take a couple of minutes and is done when the butter is lighter in color and appears fluffy.
  3. Add egg and beat on medium until combined.
  4. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix until combined.
  5. On your mixer's lowest speed: add the flour, about 1/3 of the total (1 cup) at a time, adding the next cup when the flour is mostly incorporated. After the final cup, mix until just combined. The dough will be quite heavy and will stick to your bowl and beater. 
  6. Remove the dough from the mixer. If you plan to color the dough, divide into portions and color.
  7. Roll the colors separately onto parchment paper, dusted with a little flour, to about 3/8 inch (.95cm) thick. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to two days.
  8. Heat oven to 375F (190C). Arrange racks so you can bake in the center of the oven.
  9. Cut cookies into the desired shapes and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. They can be placed fairly close together as they spread very little. Reroll and re-refrigerate extra dough before cutting additional shapes.
  10. Bake cookies for about 8-10 minutes. For soft cookies, you will want to bake only until the bottom edge barely turn a golden brown.  For us, that was 8 minutes. You may want to check your cookies a little early if you don't use an oven thermometer. If you like a crispier cookie or think our cookies look a bit underbaked, bake 9 minutes. 
  11. Cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes to allow them to set up.
  12. If using frosting, icing or glaze, wait until completely cool. Decorate over a piece of wax paper on your countertop.
  13. Remove to a plate or container to enjoy.
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mini animal sugar COOKIES

2/26/2021

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Almond mini animal cookies on plate with SideSwipe beater
Aren't these adorable? For best results with our spring plunger animal cookie cutters, you need to use a dough that won't spread and distort the shape or the embossed markings. We've used a more traditional recipe in the past, but loved this almond-flavored dough even more! We baked these cookies until they are just baked to keep them soft for a longer period. Great for the kiddos but adults seem to go wild for them, too. We certainly couldn't stop eating them. We'll test a gluten-free dough soon and post another option.

This recipe makes a lot of these little beauties, about 48 in all (we are estimating - we forgot to count!). And once you get the hang of it, it goes pretty fast. The cutters take a little coordination, so this may not be a good option for your toddlers, but school age kids and above should be able work the mechanism without tears. Check out our NOTES section below for tips on cutting and handling.

You have the option of keeping the cookies plain, as shown, or dipping them in a simple or royal icing. This gives you the option of adding color and nonpareil style sprinkles. And sprinkles are always a good idea!

These cookies are best in the first couple of days if not iced; maybe 4 days if iced. We usually freeze half the cookies after we cut them out. Our preferred method: first freeze on a tray, then transfer frozen cookies to a zip bag. They will keep in the freezer for a couple of months and make it easy and fast to bake a super-cute treat for your family.

ingredients & tools

  • 1 cup (114g) unsalted butter , softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons almond extract
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon table salt (half that for kosher)
  • 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour
  • Mini animal cookie cutters
Mini almond animal cookies unbaked on baking sheet with cutters in background

directions

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and salt and set aside. We like to use a flexible silicone bowl.
  2. In your stand mixer fitted with SideSwipe or your flat paddle, cream together butter and sugar. Begin on low speed, then increase speed to medium high. This should take a couple of minutes and is done when the butter is lighter in color and appears fluffy.
  3. Add egg and beat on medium until combined.
  4. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix until combined.
  5. On your mixer's lowest speed: add the flour, about 1/3 of the total (1 cup) at a time, adding the next cup when the flour is mostly incorporated. After the final cup, mix until just combined. The dough will be quite heavy and will stick to your bowl and beater.
  6. Remove the dough from the mixer. Roll onto parchment paper, dusted with a little flour, to about 1/4 inch (.6cm) thick. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes or more.
  7. Heat oven to 375F (190C). Arrange racks so you can bake in the center of the oven.
  8. Cut cookies into the desired shapes and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. They can be placed fairly close together as they spread very little. Reroll and re-refrigerate extra dough before cutting additional shapes.
  9. Bake cookies for about 7-8 minutes. For soft cookies, you will want to bake only until the bottom edge barely turn a golden brown.  For us, that was 7 minutes. You may want to check your cookies a little early if you don't use an oven thermometer. See NOTES below for tips on arranging and baking.
  10. Cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes to allow them to set up. Remove to a plate or container to enjoy.

notes and tips

  • For easiest removal of the dough, either spray the inside of the cutter with vegetable cooking spray or dip the cutter into a small bowl of flour before each use. This will allow easy release and will provide a detailed imprint.
  • Use chilled dough. Don't try to cut out warm dough, which makes the cookies very difficult to handle. 
  • We got best results when we baked the cookies with all one type of animal per tray. You'll find that the giraffe and zebra bake faster than the lion and elephant. You may want to bake the larger cutters for another minute.
  • See images of the cookie cutters we used by scrolling down the page
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Click on any of the below images to order these cookie cutters. We also offer the same cutters in all one color at a discount. 
Mini animal cookie cutters for sale at sideswipebalde.com
Mini animal giraffe cookie cutter showing spring action in hand
MIni giraffe cookie cutter in hand with spring action depressed to see embossing pattern
Mini spring plunger action animal cutter shown ejecting cookie dough
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Flourless Chocolate Pecan Cookies

2/19/2021

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This rich, chewy chocolate cookie is the brainchild of French pastry chef Francois Payard, who based his creation on the French macaron. Combining little more than egg whites cocoa and sugar, this confection is crisp on the outside and fudgy-chewy in the middle. It delivers all the flavor of a brownie, but with a lighter and more delicate feel. And because the recipe includes no wheat flour, dairy or egg yolks, these cookies are gluten-free, dairy-free and Passover-friendly. Don't worry, though, you won't feel like you're missing anything at all if you make these delicious treats.

NOTE: We adapted the original recipe, which we found in Food 52's book, Genius Desserts, to use pecans instead of walnuts. You can certainly substitute walnuts if that's what you prefer or have on hand.  This recipe makes about 16, 3-inch cookies. 
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Ingredients and equipment

  • 2-1/4 cups (275g) pecan halves
  • 3 cups (350g) confectioners' sugar, sifted for lumps
  • 1/2 cup plus 3 Tablespoons (70g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 4 large egg whites, at room temperature (we used cartoned egg whites)
  • 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • Flaky sea salt for tops (optional)
  • cookie scoop (ours was a 1.5T scoop)

directions

  1. Heat oven to 350F (175C), with racks in the upper and lower thirds if you are baking two trays at once.
  2. Spread pecans on a large, rimmed baking sheet at toast them in the oven until they are golden and smell toasty, about 9 minutes.
  3. Let the pecans cool enough to be handled, then transfer them to a cutting board and chop coarsely.
  4. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
  5. Combine the confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, salt and pecans in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with SideSwipe or the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until well combined.
  6. With the mixer running, slowly add the egg whites and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until the mixture has slightly thickened, about 2 minutes with SideSwipe, 3 minutes  with a standard beater.
  7. Using a cookie scoop or a large spoon, scoop the batter onto the baking sheets, 6 per sheet. Allow about 3 inches between cookies. 
  8. Put the baking sheets in the oven then immediately LOWER OVEN TEMPERATURE to 325F (165C). Bake until the tops are glossy, slightly cracked and no longer look wet in the center. For even baking, rotate the trays top to bottom and front to back for halfway through baking. 
  9. Slide the parchment (with cookies on them) onto cooling racks to cool completely. They will release from the parchment best after they have cooled. If stuck, wet your finger and rub it under the parchment under the cookie. The cookies should come right off.
  10. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. 
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Valentine Cut-Out Cookies

2/8/2021

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This no-fail sugar cookie dough is perfect for family baking, decorating and even making into multi-color dough. It's easy to roll out and holds its shape in the oven. It bakes up perfect cut-outs every time!

We added some almond extract to amp up the flavors of our Kid-Friendly Cut-outs. If you prefer, you can fancy up the flavors by using brown sugar in the dough or substituting extra vanilla, lemon or orange flavor. 

If you don't have time to do all the steps at one sitting, this dough can be refrigerated for a few days. Or you can freeze up to a month. Thaw frozen dough in the refrigerator overnight before using.

The cookies as shown take some patience. You'll need to roll, cut strips and cut out. Then recycle the strips for more strips or to use to cut out multicolor hearts. What's great is you can use your imagination. The cookies can be as precise or random as you like. 

Baked cookies will keep at room temperature for a few days in a sealed container. They also can be frozen for about a month. Defrost and allow to air out before decorating.

Makes 24 - 36 cookies, depending on size and desired thickness.​ We like these rolled out a little on the thicker side, about 3/8 inch thick.
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​INGREDIENTS & SUPPLIES

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons almond extract
  • 3-1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • parchment paper
  • rolling pin
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Directions

  1. In your stand mixer bowl, combine butter, cream cheese and sugar. Beat at medium high speed until light and fluffy.
  2. Add vanilla and egg. Beat on medium until well combined.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
  4. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl, mixing on lowest speed just until combined.
  5. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. 
  6. Divide the dough into two or three rounds and mix in gel colors until you achieve your desired result. Roll each color of dough onto sheets of parchment paper, to an even thickness of about 3/8 inch or a little more.
  7. Cut strips of each color and arrange on a separate sheet of parchment. Gently push the stripes together. It may also help to gently roll over the striped dough with your rolling pin to get the dough strips to hold together.
  8. Use cookie cutters to cut out desired shapes. Remove the dough from around the cutters, leaving the cut-outs in place on the paper to avoid distorting the shapes, especially if your dough is thin. We were able to lift to a new sheet with a floured metal spatula. If the dough gets too warm, refrigerate again for 15-20 minutes until cool. Reroll scraps between parchment sheets and repeat the cut-out procedure.
  9. Transfer cookies to baking sheets on the parchment. These cookies spread very little, so you can bake with about an inch around each cookie.
  10. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies just start to color at the bottom edges and the dough no longer looks wet on top. We baked the mini cookies (about 1-1/2 inches) around 6 minutes. Do NOT bake until they are golden - they will be dry and slightly brittle.
  11. Let cool for 5 minutes on the warm cookie sheet. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
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