Sunday, September 9, 2018

Fall Sprinkle Cookies

Fall Sprinkle Cookies


When I made Sprinkle Cookies for Labor Day, I used part of the dough to make these Fall Sprinkle Cookies. This recipe yields about 40 cookies and has a rich vanilla flavor like ones you buy at a bakery. When you bite into the cookie it is tender, and you get a nice crunch from the nonpareils. I adjusted the recipe and added a little salt to really bring out the vanilla flavor. The yellow and orange nonpareils really make me think of the Fall season and the upcoming cooler weather, and that makes me really excited. This summer was a real hot and humid scorcher of a mess in New York. The last couple of days have been in the 70s and though it has been rainy, I am relieved. If you know me, you most certainly know I am not a fan of hot weather. Did you know it is snowing already in Montana? I adore winter weather and anything above 75 degrees makes me cringe. I look forward to baking this season and bringing you plenty of recipes. I am ready for all things Fall like pumpkin spice, the beauty of fall leaves, the crunch of leaves, fall décor, squash, all things pumpkin, apples, candy corn, etc...  I suggest you check out these yummy Vanilla Sprinkle Cookies I made last November. See recipe and directions below.

Fall Sprinkle Cookies

Lovely cookies

Ingredients
2 cups Granulated Sugar

4 1/2 cups King Arthur All Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Coarse Salt

You know you want one, two or three of these cookies

Just like cookies you buy at a bakery but homemade!

2 cups, 4 sticks Unsalted Butter, softened

2 Large Eggs, room temperature

1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract

1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract

1 1/2 cups Orange and Yellow Nonpareils Sprinkles

Fall Sprinkle Cookies

Close-up of Fall Sprinkles Cookies 

Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt; set aside.

Pretty Fall cookies

This is a tender and you get a nice crunch from the nonpareils

In the bowl of mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy; about 2-3 minutes.

Scrape sides of bowl with spatula.

Add eggs, vanilla and almond extracts, and mix just until incorporated.

Fall Sprinkle Cookies

I love these nonpareils

Turn mixer to low speed and slowly add the flour mixture until incorporated and dough has formed.

Pour nonpareils into a bowl.

Take dough and using a cookie scoop form into balls about the size of 1 1/2 tablespoons.

Roll each dough ball in the nonpareils completely covering it. Place dough balls on lined baking set 2 inches apart. I leave more space but that is just my preference.

Orange and yellow nonpareils

Use bottom of a glass to slightly flatten dough ball

Take the end of a glass and press gently and slightly flatten (see image above and below) each one.
 

Bake for 10 minutes.

Dough slightly pressed and ready to bake

Cookies just removed from the oven

Let set in baking sheet for 5 minutes and transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

For the Sprinkled Sugar Cookies recipe, visit Just Add Sprinkles:

Enjoy!

-Sophia/Two Frys

Monday, September 3, 2018

Sprinkle Cookies for Labor Day

Sprinkle Cookies for Labor Day


Happy Labor Day! Any holiday is a great excuse to bake and today we honor American workers so give yourself a pat on the back. Labor Day came about by the labor movement in the late 19th century and for many symbolizes the end of summer. I used this recipe to make two different kinds of Sprinkle Cookies. Red, white, and blue nonpareils for Labor Day and orange and yellow nonpareils to celebrate the upcoming Fall season (see post above). The cookies are tender and chewy and have a crunchy bite from the nonpareils. They taste like bakery cookies. The only adjustment I made to the recipe is add 1 teaspoon of salt to balance the sweetness and vanilla flavor. Here are Red, White, and Blue Sprinkle Cookies I made for Memorial Day but they are also great for today. See recipe and directions below.

Sprinkle Cookies

Sprinkle Cookies 

Yield: 40 Cookies

Ingredients
2 cups Granulated Sugar

4 1/2 cups King Arthur All Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Coarse Salt

2 cups, 4 sticks Unsalted Butter, softened

2 Large Eggs, room temperature

1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract

1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract

1 1/2 cups Red, White, and Blue Nonpareils Sprinkles

Sprinkle Cookies

So yummy!

Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt; set aside.

Cookies on my Martha Stewart plate

Cookies are so pretty and taste amazing!
In the bowl of mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy; about 2-3 minutes.

Scrape sides of bowl with spatula.

Dough, Scoop, Nonpareils and Glass to press on cookies

About to roll dough ball in the nonpareils
Add eggs, vanilla and almond extracts and mix just until incorporated.

Turn mixer to low speed and slowly add the flour mixture until incorporated and dough has formed.

Pour nonpareils into a bowl.

Dough ball covered in nonpareils

Dough ready to be pressed down
Take dough and using a cookie scoop form into balls about the size of 1 1/2 tablespoons.

Roll each dough ball in the nonpareils completely covering it. Place dough balls on lined baking set 2 inches apart.

Using the bottom of a glass to press down the dough

Dough pressed and ready to bake! 
Take the end of a glass and press gently and slightly flatten (see image) each one.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Cookies taken out of the oven 
Let set in baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

For the Sprinkled Sugar Cookies recipe, visit Just Add Sprinkles:
http://just-add-sprinkles.com/2015/07/31/sprinkled-sugar-cookies/

Enjoy!

-Sophia/Two Frys

Sunday, September 2, 2018

Marbled Stars

Marbled Stars
For the Labor Day holiday, I made Marbled Stars using my orange sugar cookie recipe that I share below. I used vanilla sugar and granulated sugar, and added a little orange extract to enhance the orange flavor from the orange juice and zest. This cookie is chewy and fragrant, with a perfect orange flavor profile. To see some of my other marbled cookies, go to Marbled Star Cookies and Eclipse Galaxy Cookies. I used Bakery Bling Glittery Fourth of July Glittery Sugar and CK Products Mini Red, White, and Blue Stars to decorate over the marbled icing. Each cookie has a unique design and though it is messy putting the cookies together, it is a fun project you may enjoy doing with your kids. See the Orange Sugar Cookie and Marble Glaze Icing recipe and directions below.

Marbled Stars
Yield: 2 1/2 dozen (depending on cookie cutter size)

Orange Sugar Cookie
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups King Arthur All Purpose Flour

1 1/2 cups Vanilla Sugar

1/2 cup Granulated Sugar


1/2 teaspoon Coarse Salt

1 cup (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, softened

1 Large Egg 

1/2 teaspoon Orange Extract

1/4 cup Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice

Zest of 1 Orange


Marbled Stars

Directions

Zest the orange and squeeze juice; set aside.

Whisk together flour and salt; set aside.


Cream butter and sugars in a hand held mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment on low; 1-2 minutes. Do not overmix.

Scrape sides of bowl with spatula and mix for 10 seconds.

Add egg, orange extract, and mix until incorporated; about 1 minute. 

Scrape sides of bowl and mix for 5 seconds.

With mixer on low speed, slowly add flour mixture and incorporate. The dough is ready when it begins to clump around paddle attachment.

Form a disk with the dough, cover with plastic wrap and chill in fridge for 1-3 hours or overnight. I chilled for 2 hours.

Marbled Stars, close-up

Heat oven to 375°F.

Use two sheets of parchment paper with dough in between and roll with rolling pin until desired thickness is reached.

Cut out star shapes.

Place onto cookies sheets lined with parchment paper, and put in freezer for 15 minutes. The cookies hold their shape when you do this.

Bake 10-15 minutes or until the edges have slightly browned. My cookies baked in 13 minutes. 

Oven temps vary so check the cookies at the 9 minute mark.

Marbled Stars

Make sure cookie sheets cool in between baking. I place them in the freezer for a few minutes and then place cut-out dough on cold cookie sheets lined with parchment paper, and put in freezer for 20 minutes. This is important. Do not use hot cookie sheets or the cookies will spread and lose their shape.

Wait 2-3 minutes before transferring cookies with cookie spatula to cooling racks to complete cooling, about 1 hour.

Decorate once the cookies are cool to the touch.

Pretty glittery stars
Marble Glaze Icing 
Ingredients
3 cups Powdered Sugar

3 tablespoons Light Corn Syrup

3-4 tablespoons Milk

1/2 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

1/4 teaspoon Almond Extract

AmeriColor Soft Food Gel Paste Food Color in Super Red and Royal Blue 

Optional: Any sprinkles you desire

I used both to decorate over the marbled icing

Directions
In a large bowl whisk together the powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons of milk, and light corn syrup until smooth.

If the glaze is too dry, add 1 more tablespoon of milk

Add vanilla and almond extracts and stir.

Divide glaze into 2-3 containers with lids; use more containers if you have a lot of cookies.

Use one bowl at a time and dip toothpick into gel colors and then into glaze and swirl with Wilton Scribe Tool or a toothpick to make a pretty design.

Red and Blue Gel Food Color

Glaze Icing Swirled

Make each container a different variation of color with more red and more blue if you wish for variation.

Place a layer of paper towels over baking sheet, then place the cookies on wire racks for icing overflow.


Dip cookie into glaze, swirl around, and place on wire rack.

Cookies setting
If you wish, add sprinkles, stars, etc... and repeat until you are done.

For the Star-Spangled Cookies marbled icing recipe and video tutorial, visit Sugar Spun Run:
https://sugarspunrun.com/star-spangled-cookies/

Enjoy!

-Sophia/Two Frys