This sugar cookie dough ready for rolling out without refrigeration

Gail Ouchi willingly shares her recipes for some delightful, crisp cookies. With her tips and these recipes, you can make enticing and delicious cookies, too.

"This sugar cookie recipe is the best I’ve worked with," said Ouchi. "The flavor is good, and the dough doesn’t need to be refrigerated before you roll it out."

Roll-out Sugar Cookies

• 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons baking powder, sifted into 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl with mixer at medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour and baking powder,

1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Blend last amount of flour by hand because dough will be stiff.

Divide dough into two balls. On a parchment-lined board, with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out dough until it is an even 1/4-inch thick. Dip cookie cutters into flour before each use. Cut cookies and transfer shapes onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake cookies for 15 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking time. When lightly browned, remove cookies from oven and cool. Cool completely before frosting or decorating. Makes about 3 dozen.

Royal Icing

• 3 level tablespoons meringue powder
• 4 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar (about 1 pound)
• 6 tablespoons water
• Paste food coloring

Beat all ingredients at low speed for 7-12 minutes until icing forms peaks. Add paste food coloring as desired. Makes about 3 cups. Keep icing covered with a damp paper towel and plastic wrap to keep it from drying out. Can be kept in the refrigerator for a few days.

Be sure to roll the dough for these Almond Cookies into a well-formed ball and keep rolling in your hand until dough becomes sticky, advised Ouchi.

Place ball on cookie sheet and flatten with the lightly floured bottom of a flat glass.

This cookie has a smooth surface, excellent for painting designs with food coloring and a brush.

Almond Cookies

• 1 1/3 cups Crisco
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons almond extract
• 2 3/4 cups sifted flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cream Crisco and sugar well, until light and fluffy. Add egg and almond extract. Mix well. Sift together dry ingredients and add to mixture; blend well. Scoop out a rounded teaspoonful of dough and roll into a ball. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and flatten slightly. Continue with remaining dough. Bake at 300 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until cookies are golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet and cool on a rack.

These cookies spread out to be very thin and crisp. You can substitute Rice Krispies or similar unsweetened cereal for the sesame seeds.

Sesame Crisps

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1-2 cups roasted sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream butter and sugar together, mix well. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Mix flour and baking powder together and gradually add to mixture; blend well. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls into sesame seeds, rolling to coat. Place on ungreased cookie sheets, making sure dough has room to spread out. Flatten slightly with bottom of a glass. Bake 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove form cookie sheet immediately to cool.

Note: 1 cup of sesame seeds equals about 5 ounces.

[back to top]