Am I the only person on earth who likes sugar cookies year round?
It’s really not fair at all. I They’re easy to cram into cookie cutters and dress up in bright holiday colors, but along the way they’ve become not only under-appreciated but almost unrecognizable on their own.
Like Matthew McConaughey, they fell into a typecast that was tolerable only when drunk at a party with no other options.
What’s even worse is that there’s always 1000 times more effort put into making sugar cookies look like something festive and fun than there is into making them taste good. Scrape off the frosting and sugar crystals (I always do), and all you’ve got left is a piece of vanilla scented cardboard.
It’s ridiculous. Know why? Because a good sugar cookie is classic. It’s iconic. It’s a soft, tender, melt-in-your-mouth work of art.
Naturally, these sugar cookies are soft, moist, and pillowy. Crunchy cookies are not welcome in my home.
They have a delicate, buttery sweetness we all know and love (there’s a reason no one likes sugar cookies but still buys sugar cookie scented candles). They are moist, with a tender crumb that practically disintegrates in your mouth after being dunked in a glass of milk. Actually, they’re very reminiscent of Lofthouse sugar cookies–you know, those big fat sugar cookies at the grocery store that are basically the tops shaved off of vanilla cupcakes?
As much of a purist as I am, I am still a frosting fiend. BUT. The objective here is to complement these wonderful little cookies instead of overwhelming them. Enough with dressing them up like a painted whore with a gaudy, thin, brittle layer of colored icing.
Instead, all we need is a cuddly layer of fluffy buttercream.
And sprinkles. Always sprinkles.
Because sprinkles. #sprinks
Soft, puffy, melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookies with buttercream frosting.
Ingredients
- 3 c GF flour blend
- 2 t baking powder
- pinch xanthan gum, guar gum, or psyllium husk powder
- 1/4 t salt
- 1/2 c butter, softened
- 1/2 c shortening
- 1 c white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 t vanilla
- 1/4 t almond extract
- 1/4 c butter, softened
- 2 c confectioner's sugar (more or less as needed)
- 1 t vanilla
- 2-3 T heavy cream
Instructions
- Cream the butter, shortening, and sugar together for about 1 minute.
- Beat in the eggs, vanilla, and almond extract.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet.
- When the dough starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl, remove from the bowl, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- The dough can be frozen at this point for later use.
- When you are ready to bake, shape the dough into 1-inch balls.
- Place of a greased cookie sheet and flatten slightly.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
- Cool completely before frosting.
- For the frosting, beat the powdered sugar with the butter on low speed.
- Add the vanilla.
- Add the cream a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. More or less cream can be used to achieve a thicker or thinner frosting.
Notes
These are basically gluten free Lofthouse cookies...except so much better :-)
Oh my! I will be making these!
DO IT!!