Vanilla Icebox Sugar Cookies

Vanilla Icebox Sugar Cookie

Happy Holidays to one and all! As you may or may not know…the Christmas season is merely less than twenty-five days away ;) This is the time to eat plenty and sleep much; exams are over and our brains need to rest and recoup for the next wave of woes that come with next semester.

The holidays, with all its cooking and drinking and baking and gifting, bring about the single most expensive time of the year. Adding a personal touch to a gift tells the recipient that thought and effort was put into consideration. Baking is the simplest and most cost-effective way to personalize a gift for close friends and family. I recently found an awesome vanilla icebox sugar cookie recipe that can be modified in over sixty variations!

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar 

Instructions

1. Stir flour with baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. Beat butter with sugar in a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high, until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture, just until combined. Gather into a ball. Divide dough in half, then roll each portion into a 2-in.-wide log. Wrap logs in wax paper and twist ends. Chill until firm, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
3. Position racks in top and bottom thirds of oven. Preheat to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
4. Slice cookies into 1/4-inch rounds and arrange 1 inch apart on prepared sheets. Bake in top and bottom thirds of oven, switching halfway through, until cookies are golden, 10 to 12 min. Let cookies cool on sheets for 1 min, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough. Cookies will keep well, stored in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 5 days.

Make Ahead Tip

Keep dough in freezer up to 1 month. Thaw in refrigerator overnight before using.

Variations

candy cane            pistachio cranberry            chocolate orange             candied ginger

Candy Cane


Omit vanilla. Add 1/2 cup finely chopped candy canes to flour mixture.

Pistachio & Cranberry


Add 1/4 cup each finely chopped pistachios and dried cranberries to flour mixture.

Chocolate Orange


Omit vanilla. Add 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips and 2 tbsp grated orange zest to flour mixture.

Candied Ginger


Omit vanilla. Add 1/2 cup finely chopped candied ginger and 1/2 tsp ground ginger to flour mixture.

black&white                 green tea latte               s'mores                    apricot coconut

Black & White


Bake a batch of Vanilla Icebox Sugar Cookies and cool completely. Melt a chopped 100-g pkg good-quality dark chocolate. Brush half of each cookie with melted chocolate. Let chocolate firm up, about 30 min.

Green Tea Latte


Omit vanilla. Add 1 tbsp matcha green tea powder to flour mixture. Chill, slice and bake cookies and cool completely. Whisk 1/2 cup icing sugar with 1/2 tsp matcha green tea powder and 1 tbsp milk until smooth. Lightly brush tops of cooled cookies with a thin layer of icing, covering the entire surface. Excess icing will drip through the racks.

S’mores


Replace 1 cup flour with graham cracker crumbs. Add 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips to crumb mixture. Dough will be crumbly. Scoop out of mixing bowl and quickly roll into 1 log. Slice chilled dough 1/8 in thick. Bake in top and bottom thirds of oven, switching halfway through, until cookies are golden, 7 to 8 min. Let cookies cool on sheet for 1 min. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. Sandwich 1 tbsp marshmallow fluff between 2 cookies. Repeat.

Apricot Coconut


Omit vanilla. Add 1/3 cup fine, unsweetened coconut to flour mixture. Add 1 tsp coconut flavoured extract to egg. Roll into 1-in.- round balls and set on baking sheet. Make a deep indent in the centre of each ball. Bake in centre of oven until golden, 11 to 12 min. Let cookies cool on sheet for 1 min. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. Fill each cookie with 1/2 tsp apricot jam.

These cookies can be packaged as desired in a festive box or jar for gifting to those special ones in your life that deserve that personal touch for this joyous time of year.

Try over fifty other icebox sugar cookie recipes: http://www.chatelaine.com/recipe/quick-and-easy/vanilla-icebox-sugar-cookies/