Sweeter than Swem: Sugar Cookies

Welcome back beautiful people!  After staying in hibernation with candy canes, warm fires, and hot coco, coming back to school was a wake up call.  While it’s not time to ditch the Uggs for espadrilles quite yet, we now find ourselves in a transition stage between winter and spring.  It’s a scary thought that in just one month we will sporting a baiting suit and new tan as we indulge in Spring Break 2011.   We still have one month, and I’m not sure I’m ready to give up on all of winters little luxuries yet (it’s still in the 20s after all!).   At the top of that list for me are Christmas cookies; specifically warm, chewy sugar cookies with a thin layer of red or green icing.  The other day, as I sat buried underneath all my books, I decided that this transition was moving way too fast for my liking.  Two weeks into classes is WAY too early to be burnt out!  And that’s how these cookies came to be.  Sugar cookies are not just for the holidays, and these are a perfect midweek pick me up! Just make sure you eat them warm out of the oven….
 

Sugar Cookies: for Santa and Spring
 
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, soft
1 cup granulated sugar, plus ½ cup for rolling dough
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 egg
1½ teaspoons vanilla
 
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together.
 
2. Cream the butter, the 1 cup granulated sugar, and the brown sugar until fluffy. Next, add the egg and vanilla, mix about 30 seconds.
 
3. Add the dry ingredients until just combined, being careful not to over mix.
 
3. Place the ½ cup sugar in a small bowl. Roll about a tablespoon of dough into a ball, then roll into sugar and place on greased baking sheet.  Continue until all the dough is gone.  If it gets sticky to work with, rinse your hands in cold water and pat dry. 
 
4. Using the bottom of a glass, gently flatten each ball.  If it gets sticky, dip the bottom of glass into sugar. 
 
5. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until the bottoms are a light brown and the centers are set.  Rotate the pan after about 8 minutes.  Allow them to cool for a few minutes before removing from pan.
 
** PS: These also make excellent Valentine’s Day gifts.

*** Cookies were eaten before photos could be taken! Yes, they are that good. (Photo credit:http://www.averagebetty.com/blog/gimme-some-sugar-cookie/).