‘Tis the season to be jolly and to eat lots of holiday cookies. Isn’t that how the tune goes? The end of the semester is upon us, so if time allows, distract yourself from studying and bake a batch of cookies to help get through finals. Who doesn’t love cookies, especially on a cold winter day? Sugar cookies with frosting are junior business administration student, Brianna D’Ambrosia’s favorite type of cookie while snickerdoodles and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are two favorites of sophomore communication student Kait Gravatt.
Simple, yet versatile sugar cookies always get every cookie lover in the holiday spirit. Here is a sugar cookie recipe that requires few ingredients and little effort. The ingredients are 2 sticks of softened unsalted butter, 3 eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 3 1/4 cup all-purpose flour. First, you will beat the butter and sugar, then add the eggs, one at a time, along with the vanilla, salt, and the all-purpose flour last. Divide the dough into four equal sections, place sections of dough in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for two hours. Once the two hours is up, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll out the dough onto a floured surface and have fun cutting out cookies with your choice of cookie cutters. Place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking tray. If you wish to decorate the cookies with sprinkles, do that before placing them in the oven. Bake them for 10-12 minutes and enjoy!
For peanut butter lovers here is a recipe for the perfect peanut butter blossoms. This recipe requires more ingredients than the sugar cookies, but it is worth it in the end. You will need 1 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup shortening, 1/2 cup peanut butter, 2 tablespoons of milk, 1tsp. vanilla, 1 egg, and your choice of colored sugar sprinkle. Combine the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, shortening, peanut butter, milk, vanilla, and the egg and mix on low speed with an electric mixer. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
While the oven is preheating, roll the dough into balls then roll them in the sugar sprinkles and place them on a cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes and as soon as they come out of the oven, place a Hershey’s Kiss or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup on top of each one.
Christopher Hirschler, Associate Professor and Department Chair of Health and Physical Education recommends this delicious vegan, chocolate chunk cookie recipe. First, you must preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream together 1/2 cup of coconut oil and 1 cup of brown sugar. Then you must add 1/4 cup of Almond milk and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract. If the mixture is “liquidy” you are on the right track. In another bowl, mix 2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Combine both the wet and dry ingredients, then fold in 1 cup of vegan chocolate chips. Roll the dough into balls and place them on a cookie sheet. The dough might appear to be a little crumbly, but that is perfectly fine. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, and enjoy these vegan cookies. Professor Hirschler ensures that “No animals were harmed in the making of my vegan chocolate chip cookies!”
Forget about taking a trip to the store for cookie mix. Use the ingredients in your house to make cookies that will not only bring a smile to your face, but to the faces of those that you are sharing these baked treats with. These cookie recipes will ensure that you have a holly jolly holiday season filled with delicious goodies and fun memories. So, pour yourself a glass of milk and dunk in one of your homemade cookies because you’ve earned it.
IMAGE TAKEN from www.mccormick.com
