Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

Is it June already? Oh my, time is going too fast. Strawberry season is almost over and I almost blew it. Hurry! Run to the store! Buy some delicious strawberries from the guy on the corner or from your local farmers market. Then, MAKE THESE COOKIES. They are one of my all-time favorites. If you love Strawberry Shortcake (like real shortcake, not whatever oily sickness that supermarkets try to sell you next to the strawberries), then you will love these cookies. The cookie itself is not too sweet, and then you get a little chunk of delicious strawberry and it is oh so good. And if you don't have the sanding sugar to put on top it is ok - just use granulated, but the sanding sugar is best. And a little tip, don't go crazy and add tons of extra strawberries thinking it will be better. If you get too many berries and not enough batter in each individual cookie it is a soggy mess. And really try your best to get 1/4" dice on your berries - it is the best size for the cookie. Enjoy!

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies
about 3 dozen

12 ounces strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (2 cups)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup heavy cream
Sanding sugar, for sprinkling


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 7 tablespoons granulated sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, or rub in with your fingers, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cream until dough starts to come together, then stir in strawberry mixture.

Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment, spacing evenly apart. Sprinkle with sanding sugar, and bake until golden brown, 24 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool. Cookies are best served immediately, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.

Sugar Cookies for Valentine's Day

The credit for these delicious cookies goes to my sister Mendi, who makes the best sugar cookies. I am very picky about this type of cookie because I hate cookies that are hard, crispy and stale tasting. I like sugar cookies to be soft and moist and delicious, which these are! They do require a stint in the refrigerator so plan for that, but let me tell you they are worth it! I have to admit that I enjoy them more when Mendi makes them - food always tastes better to me when you don't have to make it.


So whip up a batch and get to rolling, cutting, baking and frosting with your kids, they will love you for it.

Mendi's Sugar Cookies
makes 5 dozen


1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
4 1/2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
4 Tbsp milk
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Frosting:
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup milk


Cream butter, add sugar gradually. Add beaten eggs and vanilla. Mix and sift dry ingredients and add alternately with the milk, beating well after each addition. Put dough in bowl with lid ; cover and chill one hour in refrigerator.

After chilled, roll out dough in sections 1/8 of an inch in thickness. Cut out with floured cookie cutters.

Bake on greased cookie sheet at 375 for 10-12 minutes, do not let brown.


Frosting:

Mix sugar, butter and vanilla. Add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you reach desired consistency.

Frost and decorate cooled cookies. Get crazy and creative.

Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

These are the cookies I made for the pumpkin party. It is the same recipe I put in the cookbook, but I did half butter-half shortening this time and added the icing.

makes 3 dozen

1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips

Cream butter/shortening and sugar. In a separate bowl whisk together dry ingredients. Add to the sugar mixture. Add egg, pumpkin, and vanilla; mix to combine.
Using a medium scoop, drop onto cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes at 375*.

Brown Butter Icing:
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
5 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 1/2 Tbsp evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla

Melt butter in a small saucepan, swirling occasionally to brown evenly, about 3 minutes. Immediately add sugar, milk and vanilla; stir until smooth.

You can spread the icing on your cookies or you can thin it down a little with a bit more evaporated milk and just dip the tops of your cookies into the icing then place on a rack to let set.

Peanut Butter Toffee Cookies

These are pretty good. Of course I didn't have and toffee candy bars so I used chocolate chips and butterscotch chips instead. Pull them out right as they just barely begin to brown, so they stay soft.

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1 large egg
2 chocolate-covered toffee candy bars, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350*. In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.

2. In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add peanut butter and egg; beat until smooth. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture. Stir in toffee pieces.

3. Drop by the tablespoonful onto baking sheets. Flatten slightly with fork. Bake until edges are just golden brown, 12-14 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies immediately to a wire rack to cool completely.

Lemon-Zucchini Cornmeal Cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp packed finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp coarse salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fine cornmeal
1 cup grated zucchini


1. Preheat oven to 325*. In a large bowl, mix butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Stir in vanilla, lemon zest and salt. Add flour and cornmeal and mix until mixture is crumbly. Add zucchini and stir until a thick dough forms.

2. Drop by rounded tablespoons, 2-inches apart, onto two parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until cookies are light golden brown at edges, 25-30 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cool completely on wire racks.

Makes 25 cookies