Life-Like Sugar Cookies, Spicy Molasses Cookies, & Decorating Them by jej

[S_Wirth]

LIFE-LIKE SUGAR COOKIES, SPICY MOLASSES COOKIES, & Decorating them...

Submitted by: jej
Last Updated: 3/11/2005

This posting is for two different cookie recipes, plus two methods for decorating them, plus a glaze. I generally preferred the Stained Glass decorating procedure, as it gives very effective results. (Don't recall if I even tried the Paint Box Method.)

One of the cookie recipes has an emphatic "Good!" written in the corner. It also says I first made the cookies in November of 1983, and they cost 66 cents per batch! Can't beat that. Those are the "Life-Like Sugar Cookies" -- and the others, "Spicy Molasses Cookies," I haven't yet tried. Think I will, this year. All of this came aout of "The Kraft Kitchens."

I. LIFE-LIKE SUGAR COOKIES

Makes about 4 dozen cookies (depends on cutter sizes)

3/4 cup margarine (recipe calls for Parkay, but any will do)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

1) Cream margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Blend in eggs and vanilla.

2) Add combined dry ingredients; mix well.

3) Chill 4 hours or overnight.

4) On floured surface roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut with floured cookie cutters, pressing firmly on cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

***I like to roll out my dough between sheets of plastic lightly floured. I also like to use a mixture of equal parts flour and confectioners' sugar for rolling out the dough and flouring the cutters.

6) Bake at 400 F. 5-7 minutes. (Watch carefully to remove from oven at the point you like them.

7) Cool slightly, remove from cookie sheet.

8) Frost and decorate as you desire or using one of the ideas below.
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II. SPICY MOLASSES COOKIES

Makes about 4-1/2 dozen cookies (depends on cutter sizes)

1 cup margarine (Parkay called for, as this is a Kraft recipe. I use another.)
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons molasses
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger
2 teaspoons cloves

1) Cream margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Blend in egg and molasses.

2) Add combined dry ingredients; mix well.

3) Chill 4 hours or overnight.

4) On floured surface roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut with floured cookie cutters, pressing firmly on cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

***I like to roll out my dough between sheets of plastic lightly floured. I also like to use a mixture of equal parts flour and confectioners' sugar for rolling out the dough and flouring the cutters.

6) Bake at 400 F. 6-8 minutes. (Watch carefully to remove from oven at the point you like them.

7) Cool slightly, remove from cookie sheet.

8) Frost and decorate as you desire or using one of the ideas below.
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And here are the three suggestions for their decoration:

1) PAINT BOX DECORATING

In this recipe, the egg yolk color mix is painted on the cookies before baking. Therefore, there is no need to be concerned about raw egg. This one uses:

1 egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon water
Food coloring

Blend the egg yolk and water. Divide evenly into two containers and color with food coloring. Repeat this procedure until you have as many colors as you need. Remember, combining the basic colors gives you a wider variety of "paints."

Using small artist brushes, paint the Life-Like Sugar Cookies before baking them. Use your imagination when painting the cookies, following lines, filling in large areas, etc. If mixture thickens, add a drop or two of water.

Bake and cool cookies as usual. For an added sparkle, sprinkle the painted cookies lightly with granulated sugar, then bake as usual.

2) STAINED GLASS DECORATING

I like to use muffin pans to mix the colors in: gives me lots of little 'containers,' and the stability of them is great. I've also used glass custard cups, they are clear, the exact color shows up well, they are more mobile, etc. Advantages to both. Your choice.

1 teaspoon light corn syrup
Food coloring

1) Combine syrup with a few drops of food coloring. Colors will be very intense, but transparent. Pastel shades require very little color. Mix a variety of colors.

2) Paint cool, baked cookies wiht a small brush. Rinse brush with water when changing colors and dry it, so you don't dilute glaze. If, at first, glaze does not cover the cookie surface completely, simply go on to another area or another cookie. Glaze will set up, allowing you to go back and cover the area with color as desired.

Allow cookies to dry in a single layer at room temperature. Glaze will harden to allow for stacking.

3) QUICK & SPECIAL COOKIES

This is another set of directions that came with those cutters in the same leaflet. Some of the ideas we all know about (colored sugar) and tinting dough. But the glaze might be of help to someone.

1) Sprinkle colored sugar on cookies before baking.

2) Tint Life-Like Sugar Cookie dough with food color before rolling and cutting.

3) To hang cookies as ornaments, use a drinking straw or skewer to pierce a hole near the top of the cookies before baking. Cookies can then be decorated and hung by colored string or ribbon.

GLAZE FOR SPICY MOLASSES COOKIES

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup milk.

1) Blend sugar and milk.

2) If desired, glaze can be divided and tinted with food coloring.

3) Brush glaze on cookies.

4) Allow cookies to dry in a single layer before storing.

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• This topic was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by S_Wirth.

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