12 Days of Cookies – The Great Sugar Cookie Debate
Sugar cookies are the classic holiday cookie. Everyone seems to have a great sugar cookie recipe. I personally only have the patience for sugar cookies at the holidays. Even though I have about 40 cookie cutters, they barely ever get used. Occasionally I’ll use them for things other than cookies (like cake or bars).
I think it’s because I don’t have a great sugar cookie recipe. Don’t get me wrong I love the recipe that came from my Aunt. The problem is that it poofs so sometimes the cookies lose their shape. They don’t have crisp edges like some sugar cookies. So I decided to test three sugar cookie recipes to come up with a favorite.
The first recipe will be my Aunt’s recipe that I grew up eating. I’ll use it as a baseline to compare the other recipes to. Second, I’ll be trying a Dorie Greenspan recipe. Funny thing is that both Cookie Carnival AND Tuesdays with Dorie are doing Dorie’s sugar cookies this month! The last recipe comes from Ashlee’s blog (and Katie uses this recipe too). Her cookies always look perfect.
I decided that we needed to come up with a way to use up all of these cookies. Our friends offered to host a cookie decorating party. I brought the naked cookies and all my decorating supplies and they provided snacks and beverages.
These are pictures of some of the cookies we brought home with us. It was a lot of fun to decorate cookies with a group of friends.
One cookie cutter that I have never really liked is the Santa cookie cutter. My mom had one growing up and the only way it looks like a Santa is if you decorate it properly. I don’t think I’ll use the cookie cutter anymore. We did have fun trying to decorate the shape into things other than Santa. Hubby made a convincing bird and another friend made a cute penguin mother and baby. Here’s a pic of my Santa and hubby’s bird.
I was trying to be organized while I was baking, so I went ahead and measured everything out at the beginning including labeling each measured ingredient with post it notes. It turned out to be very useful when I started mixing the dough.
So now on to the verdict. Is it possible that one of these new recipes is going to replace my go to sugar cookie recipe? The recipe I grew up loving turned out soft and a little puffy as expected. It’s also somewhat difficult to work with because you have to work quite a bit of flour into the dough prior to rolling it out. Dorie’s recipe held it’s shape well and the batch was small, which was refreshing. It was also very easy to roll out and work with. Ashlee’s recipe had a nice hint of lemon. I enjoyed the lemon when they weren’t frosted but I thought it was a big overpowering when they were frosted. These also help their shape quite well and again were easy to work with. So I would definitely make any of these recipes again. I guess it would depend what I was looking for.
For super soft roll out cookies – I’d make my aunt’s recipe.
For cookies that hold their shape really well – I’d make Ashlee’s recipe.
For a simpler sugar cookie that yields a smaller batch – I’d make Dorie’s recipe.
And now on to the recipes.
Sugar Cookies – from my Aunt Deanne – I got 5.5 dozen cookies
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs beaten
1 cup lard
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
4 cups flour
sour milk (1 cup milk mixed with 1 tsp. vinegar and 1 tsp. baking soda.)
In a large bowl, mix sugar with eggs. Add lard, baking powder,
vanilla, milk, and flour. Mix each ingredient one at a time to the
other. Roll out and use cookie cutters. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.
Watch closely, top does not brown only bottom.
Sugar Cookies – from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking from my Home to Yours – to see the entire recipe, check out the TWD member who chose it, Ulrike of Küchenlatein – I got 2.5 dozen cookies
As you can see the Dorie recipe made a very small amount of dough. This is nice though because sometimes making sugar cookies is overwhelming. Also, I didn’t rechill my dough between rolling it out. I just rerolled and went with it.
Sugar Cookies – from Katie, originally from Ashlee – I got 5.5 dozen cookies
1 1/2 c. butter
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. powdered sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 Tbsp lemon zest
5 c. flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Powdered sugar, for rolling
Cream butter and sugars in a mixer for 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly. Add vanilla, almond, and lemon zest.
Sift in flour, baking powder, and salt a little at a time. Do not over mix, this process should take about one minute.
Chill dough for up to a week in the fridge, or roll out and cut right away. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and bake cookies for 7-8 minutes. Wait until cookies are cooled before icing.
Frosting
1 stick of butter, softened
1/4 cup Crisco
6 cups powdered sugar
Water or Milk to reach desired consistency
Food coloring
Beat butter and Crisco until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar slowly. Add water/milk (I used whipping cream) until desired consistency is reached.
My 12 Days of Cookies:Day 1: Lumberjacks
Day 2: Peppermint Sandies
I’m submitting this to Food Bloggas Eat Christmas Cookies blogging event. Check this link to participate in the event. Or check here to see the roundup (gets updated as entries come in).
I don’t really like pork, but you make it looks so good! 🙂
Happy 250th post. <3
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Thanks Taylor! This really is an amazing pulled pork recipe if you are ever in the mood for pork.
I really need a crock pot – this looks great and I am bookmarking it for when I do get one, my husband loves pulled pork sandwiches.
This looks awesome! I love making pulled pork in the crockpot 🙂
This looks great! I have been in search of a good pulled pork recipe.
Happy 250th post!
I love all the spices you used on the pork – it looks so tender and yummy! Congrats on 250 posts!
Hey Jen, this is Ashley (formerly) from Performance in Evendale! I found your blog through some others and I love it …. we tried this recipe last night and it. was. amazing. Thank you! Your kitchen is going to be gorgeous, can’t wait to see the final pictures.
Hi! I made your recipe last night for my extended family. They RAVED about it! I posted a link back to this post. Thanks again!
Hey Ashley! I always get a kick out of when people I know in real life find my blog. We LOVE this recipe.
Well, 6 months later, I come upon your recipe through Google and it is amazing!! I served this up to some dinner guests and we all loved it!! It IS the best pulled pork recipe and I thank you for leaving it here for me to find!
We tried this recipe over the weekend (with a couple of minor tweaks) and it came out great!
Thanks for posting.
This is our new favorite pulled pork recipe! Thanks for posting it!
About how many did this serve?
Joshua and Stacie – the recipe says it serves 6, but I’d say it serves more like 8.
thanks for the recipe. I’ve been searching for a good one.
This was a great recipe! It was my first pork roast, and it was so easy. My 7 lb roast was fork tender in 8 hours.
Started this the other day and had it in the crockpot all day today. So delicious. Very satisfied husband. Thanks for posting this!
beantownbaker — June 10th, 2013 @ 12:33 pm
So glad your husband enjoyed this. This recipe is in our regular rotation.
Love this recipe. Have used it many times and it always gets rave reviews. Making it again this weekend.
beantownbaker — July 4th, 2013 @ 1:44 pm
Glad you enjoy it! We love it too and make it on a regular weekend. Especially since it freezes so well!
What Barbeque sauce did you prefer. There are so many different flavors out there these days?
beantownbaker — August 22nd, 2013 @ 11:16 am
I actually make my own BBQ sauce, but any flavor that you prefer works in this recipe.
Only complaint from people when I made this was…”Why didn’t you make more??!?!” Love Love Love this recipe!
Thanks for publishing!
beantownbaker — October 23rd, 2013 @ 12:25 am
I get that a lot too! So glad you enjoyed it!!
This recipe is awesome!!! I have only made pulled pork a few times but was never a huge fan as I found them to be too BBQ sauce flavored! I saw this recipe on pinterest and decided to try it tonight for dinner! OMG it is FANTBULOUS!!!!!! I love the rb idea and honestly I could have done without the BBQ sauce as the drippings and sauce in the pot was amazing with the pork on its own! I did add the bq sauce however and was still quite impressed! This recipe had changed my whole opinion of pulled pork! Kudos on a great spice rub blend!!!
beantownbaker — October 23rd, 2013 @ 12:28 am
So glad I was able to convert you to a pulled pork fan! I actually have a batch of this cooking in the crockpot as I type. It’s going to cook overnight for my sister and her husband since they’re new parents and it freezes so well.
This is the easiest and I’m sure tastiest recipe I’ve ever found. I just rubbed all the spices on the pork and it’s marinating in the fridge right now…. I will cook it tomorrow morning I’m very excited about serving this to my family. I’ll come back and post how it was!
beantownbaker — October 23rd, 2013 @ 12:29 am
I’ve got a batch cooking in the crockpot right now! I hope you and your family enjoy it.
I tried this tonight and OMG it was delicious! That rub really makes it. I couldn’t let it sit in the fridge for days but it was still amazing. I will definitely be making this again.
beantownbaker — December 17th, 2013 @ 10:55 am
So glad you enjoyed it! We really love this recipe and make it all the time.
Hi. I am making this as we speak for tomorrow. My only concern the spices seem a little over powering. When I opened the crockpot to check on it it seemed very spicey. Is that what you experience?
This is one of the best crockpot pork recipes ever! I use Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce or make my own secret barbecue sauce. Either way it is the best. We also use the rub when my husband cooks a shoulder on the grill. Great find – thanks!
Sounds delish! What brand and flavor bbq sauce did you use, exactly?