Desserts/ Recipe

The 2013 Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap Reveal: Classic Glazed Sugar Cookies

It’s gotten to the point that when there’s a knock on the door I start salivating and craving sweet, holiday cookie goodness. It’s like “knock knock knock” and I run like a mutt to the door, drooling and jumping up and down and giggling “cookies cookies cookies cookies cookies!”
 
Glazed-Sugar-Cookies2
I think Pavlov termed it classical conditioning; I call it man at the door = cookies. It’s kind of ridiculous. And by ridiculous, I mean ridiculously delicious.
 
How-To-Package-Cookies
This is my third year participating in the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap and also an entry for The Food Blogger’s of Canada EatInEatOut 3rd annual cookie contest. It all just seems to get better every year!* If you haven’t participated, here’s the lo-do: Essentially we sign up in the Fall and each get 3 cookie recipient matches all Secret Santa like. So who you have, doesn’t know you have them, and vice versa. Then, we bake, mail and ship our cookies and get 3 in return from 3 other random food bloggers. There were 622 participants this year and we each make 3 dozen cookies. This means that 22,392 cookies have been mailed in the past couple of weeks. Could snail mail get any better than this?! I don’t think so.
 
isavirtue-Christmas-Wrapping
Now don’t get me wrong, I love the cookies I’ve received in years past, but this year it was like all 3 bloggers who were assigned me as mainlined directly into my taste buds.
 
Sugar-Cookies-Recipe
Meg @ Sweet Twist of Blogging crafted incredible espresso shortbread with dried cherries and almonds:
 
Shortbread-Cookies-Dried-Cherries-Almond2
Stacey @ NotCrocker baked up some serious dark chocolate & candied ginger babies:
 
Dark-Chocolate-Candied-Ginger-Cookies2
And the third box I received was from Tina @ What Taste. Seriously…. Soft cinnamon cookies stuffed with caramel. What Taste indeed!!!!
 
Cinnamon-Caramel-Cookies2
I seriously ate all of them within 2 days of receiving each batch. They were insane in the membrane. In a good way. And I got to meet some pretty awesome ladies.
 
winter-packaging
If you want a little taste insanity, or just need to fatten up a bit this holiday season, you can find the recipes for all of these cookies by going to their respective blogs. And believe me, you want to. Bring on the fat! Err, Christmas cookie joy! I’m glowing! (…okay, that could just be cookie sweats).
 
Kraft-Paper-Reindeer
The first year I made Andes Chocolate Mint Cookies (also, kind of insane good) and last I opted for the Beeroness’ Salted Chocolate Stout Truffles (also very good); this year, I selected a cookie that is an absolute MUST bake in my house every December: Home-baked classic glazed sugar cookies. I hope Kathy @ Eat Halifax, Megan @ Savour Sisters and Tracy @ PeanutButter and Onion enjoyed them!There are no restrictions on butter or sugar here my friends, in fact the grand total when all was said and done was 16 hours, 10 C flour, 8 pastured eggs, 7 C icing sugar, 4 C white sugar, 3 extra trips to the grocery store, 2 lbs of butter, 1 cramped hand that just wouldn’t straighten and not enough bourbon in the house. For reals.
 
Plus I made them in the shape of mason jars – uh, probably the cutest cookie shape ever. And they were amazing.

Home-Baked Classic Glazed Sugar Cookies

Yield 25 cookies

Ingredients

Ingredients for the Cookies:

  • 1 1/2 C Butter, room temperature.
  • 2 C White Sugar.
  • 4 Pastured Eggs.
  • 2 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract.
  • 5 C White Flour.
  • 2 Tsp Baking Powder.
  • 1 Tsp Fine Sea Salt.

Ingredients for Icing:

  • 2 C Icing/Confectioners Sugar.
  • 2 Tbsp Milk.
  • 1/2 Tsp Almond Extract.
  • Food Coloring (optional).

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, cream the butter and white sugar with electrical beaters until light and fluffy.
  2. Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix well.
  3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet in batches until all incorporated. Cover and place in the fridge for 2 – 24 hours.
  4. When ready to make the cookies, pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees F. Flour a dry flat surface and roll dough out to 1/4″ – 1/2″ thick. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters and place on un-greased cookie sheets. Bake in the oven until golden on bottom and cooked through, approx 6-8 minutes depending on the size and thickness of your cookies.
  5. Place on a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.

To decorate:

  1. In a large bowl, fold the sugar into the milk until absorbed and silky. You may have to play with this a little bit. Add more sugar for a thicker glaze, more liquid for a thinner one. Once you have the desired consistency, set aside. You can pour some in a pastry bag to decorate the cookies or just slather on top. Toothpicks are helpful too. If you want to make separate colors  pour some of the icing into individual bowls and mix with food coloring. Viola!
  2. As you glaze cookies, set them aside somewhere safe to dry. This can take up to 24 hours.

Eat.

 

 
 
What cookies (or treats) are you eating this holiday season? Link to them in the comments so I can check ’em out! Did you participate in the swap? What do you love about it? Loathe? Yum!
 
*Special thanks to my dear friend Kaitlyn @ isavirtue for crafting such beautiful wrapping for me again this year – it’s probably the prettiest wrapping in the world. I don’t know what I would do without her and her fabulous paper! Please check out her Etsy shop for writing paper, stationary supplies, envelopes, postcards, journals, stamps, seals and all kinds of mail art amazingness. Not only is she incredibly talented, she’s probably the most adorable and generous person I know. You know, aside from me.  
  • Alicia
    December 11, 2013 at 10:36 AM

    Oh what a great idea! And what a great feeling it must be to anticipate cookies every time the doorbell rings 🙂 The classic glazed sugar cookies look so good! Like they’re straight out of a magazine!

    • Kristy Gardner
      December 11, 2013 at 10:33 PM

      Hi Alicia! It certainly is! It’s also a bit of a problem. Luckily I landed on a coat in my excitement and not on my ass. hahahaha… Thank you for your kind words!

  • Kathy Jollimore
    December 11, 2013 at 2:48 PM

    Thank you so much for the wonderful – and giant – cookies, Kristy!

    Happy Holidays!

    • Kristy Gardner
      December 11, 2013 at 10:34 PM

      HAHAHAHA… I know, right… I had to buy SO much more butter to make them! ha! I had no idea. But they’re mason jars! MASON JARS! 😉

  • Heather S
    December 11, 2013 at 3:27 PM

    Fun! This was my first year participating and I loved it! Who doesn’t love getting cookies in the mail?!?!

    • Kristy Gardner
      December 11, 2013 at 10:35 PM

      So glad you had a good time Heather!!! I’ve been at it for 3 years and am already planning for next! MORE cookies! They should do a bi-yearly cookie swap. hahaha

  • Tina McDonald
    December 11, 2013 at 3:34 PM

    Thanks Kristy for mentioning What Taste! It was my first year participating as well and I had a great time with it! I’m glad you enjoyed the caramel stuffed snickerdoodles! Merry Christmas!

    • Kristy Gardner
      December 11, 2013 at 10:35 PM

      I DID TINA!! They were so good! Insane in the membrane kinda good! Thank you so so so much! PS. I need more.

  • thepajamachef.com
    December 11, 2013 at 4:29 PM

    these sugar cookies look so great! awesome job decorating them.

  • Stacey
    December 11, 2013 at 6:52 PM

    Wow, well I will definitely have to make your cookies as well! I am glad you enjoyed the Dark Chocolate and Candied Ginger Cookies, it is a combo I love!

    • Kristy Gardner
      December 11, 2013 at 10:36 PM

      Absolutely did Stacey! They were gobbled up in almost one day. Except for the ONE I’ve saved… I should eat that soon I guess 😉

  • Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe
    December 11, 2013 at 8:30 PM

    I had so much fun participating in the swap this year! These cookies look fabulous – sugar cookies are definitely a holiday staple. Nice work on the decorating too!

    • Kristy Gardner
      December 11, 2013 at 10:36 PM

      Thanks darlin! I was SO proud of my decorating skills….but truth be told, it took me an extra bag of icing sugar to figure out the ratio. Aye! I am no baker!

  • Cheap Ethnic Eatz
    December 12, 2013 at 1:15 AM

    Oh your cookies sound just amazing and rich. And Mason Jar shaped? Hell, too adorable. I want a dozen too. And also want to say a big thank you becuase I found out about the swap through one of your comments on facebook. Cheers (toasting with cookies)

    • Kristy Gardner
      December 12, 2013 at 11:16 AM

      Oh yay! See? Facebook does SOME good (albeit very little, haha)… I’m so glad! And thank you for your kind words my friend, I appreciate it!!

  • WindyCityPrince
    December 12, 2013 at 3:31 AM

    Your cookies are so creative and whimsical!

    I made Soft-Baked Gingersnap Molasses Cookies, 3 Ways for my Cookie Swap recipe. First timer, but I can’t wait to do it again next year. Happy baking!

    • Kristy Gardner
      December 12, 2013 at 11:17 AM

      haha, thanks! Oooooh, yours sound good too! I love soft gingersnaps! Can’t wait to check em out!

  • Gastronomical Sovereignty to She Eats: Best Food Blog Posts 2013She Eats
    December 30, 2013 at 12:04 AM

    […] Favorite: The 2013 Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap Reveal: Classic Vanilla Glazed Sugar Cookies. I look forward to this cookie swap every year and while I’m not much of a baker, I think I […]