TWD – Grandma’s All-Occasion Sugar Cookies

This is Madam Chow, on hiatus in Las Vegas.  No, not a pleasure trip.  Well, except for the buffets, but more on that when I get back home.  What I did manage to do before I left was to bake the TWD challenge: This week, Ulrike of Küchenlatein chose Grandma’s All-Occasion Sugar Cookies on pages 146-147 (or look for the recipe on Ulrike’s blog).

These are not the soft and chewy sugar cookies of my youth; rather, they are very crispy.  The only thing I tweaked when it came to this recipe was the amount of vanilla extract – I increased the amount to 1-1/2 teaspoons, and I sure could taste it, which is a GOOD thing, as far as I’m concerned! Master Chow, a.k.a. The Cookie Monster, also liked these tasty little morsels.  Little, because I made them rather small, and they did not spread at all in the oven.  I should say that I froze this dough for a few hours, then sliced and baked the cookies straight from the freezer.  Slice and bake cookies are a dream come true for people who are averse to cookie baking, like I am, or who are very busy, also like me.  Oh, and probably all of you TWD bakers out there!

A couple of points on the baking.  First, I thought the cookies were sweet enough without any sprinkled sugar or icing on top.  Second, as I mentioned before, they hardly spread at all, so keep that in mind if you want a specific size.  Finally, Dorie’s baking instructions are perfect – these cookies should not get dark.  Mine turned a light golden color on the bottom and around the edges, but the top stayed pale.

Thanks Ulrike, for a great pick.  I’ll be making these again, and experimenting with different flavorings.  I loved the crisp texture and bright flavor in these cookies.  To see what others did with the recipe, check out the TWD blogroll.