I don’t know if it’s just me, but it feels like we have been inside a lot lately. The weather has been cold and miserable for as many weekends as I can remember. Recently, I have been making a renewed effort to come up with fun and exciting things to do with the kids on days like these. In our house, baking is always a winner. I know some will shudder at the thought of a toddler with a bag of flour! But trust me, the mess is worth the fun. For us, baking is high interest, an easy form of entertainment and usually results in something that I can stuff my face with later on in the day (when the kids have reached new levels ferality). Sugar cookies are always a popular choice because the kids can really get hands on with patting, rolling and cutting out the dough. Sugar cookies are literally fool proof and are really easy to throw together – making them perfect for baking with your toddler. What’s great about this dough is, it doesn’t fall apart. A noteworthy consideration when you have a terrific toddler who needs to roll the same piece of dough out 20 times!
Recipe
Ingredients
200g butter at room temperature
280g sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
400g plain flour
a pinch of salt
Method
- Put the butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a free-standing electric mixer and cream until light and fluffy (You can also use a handheld whisk).
- Add the egg and mix well, scraping the sides of the bowl intermittently to ensure all the ingredients are incorporated well.
- Add the flour and salt, mixing well. The dough should look light, feel soft and be easy to handle.
- Dust a clean surface with flour and roll out the dough using a rolling pin. Cut out the shapes of your choice to a depth of approx. 1cm. Place the sugar cookies on a well greased or lined baking tray (you will need at least two large trays) and bake for 10 minutes at 170C.
- The cookies should be very light golden on the outer edges and paler in the centre. Once cooked remove the cookies from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
If you are feeling very adventurous you can always attempt icing the sugar cookies with royal icing. This is a fun activity for older kids, but honestly I’m not ready for that level of potential domestic damage just yet! Bake at 350 is a great website for incredible sugar cookies. If her designs don’t impress you, I don’t know what will!
Find another tasty cookie recipe here, if you are looking for something different but delicious!