Have you noticed that long sweaters are in style this fall? I’ve been seeing them everywhere (here, here, and here, for example), paired up with leggings, jeans and dresses. This was my favorite vest this summer. As soon as I tried it on, I was thinking that someone needed to write up a pattern for it. It’s lightweight (fingering weight) and flattering, and I am envisioning it in several different yarn lines and colors. Anyone want to take that on? By the time I figured it out, wrote it up, had it test knit and edited, and put a pattern out, the style would be over. 🙁 But I really like it. And guess what else? J.Jill has stitchmarker necklaces and bracelets. Check it out. Well no, they don’t actually call it that. And no, I don’t think you can actually take the rings off. But it’s clearly a bunch of stitchmarkers, right? Any knitter knows that. Very cute.
Did you see the Sugar Cookie Recipe on The Pioneer Woman’s blog last week? I have to say, I’m always very skeptical when someone says “These are the best sugar cookies ever!”, because I have been making frosted sugar cookies for 20 years, always using the same recipe, always loving the results. I’m just not looking for a new one. BUT – this looked easy (no cut outs, no frosting) and I thought I’d give them a try. You know what? These are the best sugar cookies ever. Seriously. Not for cutouts and frosting (I’ll still use my other recipe for that) but for pure melt-in-your-mouth happiness that you can make in a jiffy. Here’s the recipe with a couple of additional notes from me. I made a double batch, because it’s always nice to share.
Pioneer Woman’s Favorite Sugar Cookies
2 large eggs
1 cup Canola oil
2 sticks butter, softened (use butter – it’s better in here)
1 cup sugar (plus 4-6 Tbl. extra for sprinkling)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract*
4 cups plus 2 Tbl. all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar
* On the vanilla – does anyone remember sugar cookies that tasted a bit lemony? Next time, I might try half vanilla extract and half lemon extract. Or all lemon? Would that be too much? What do you think?
I noticed one commenter on this recipe said that she added 1 tsp. nutmeg to the recipe – also an interesting alternative.
Directions: Cream together all liquids, plus both sugars. Add the dry ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate the dough for 1-2 hours. (Don’t skip this step. If you don’t firm up the dough, then the cookies spread too thin on the pan when they cook. Also, keep your bowl of dough in the fridge while the other pan is cooking, for the same reason. Ask me how I know.)
Drop walnut-sized balls of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet or baking stone. Flatten each ball with the bottom of a glass, coated in sugar. (I re-sugared the glass for each one.)
Bake at 350 degrees for 10-11 minutes, until just before the cookies begin to turn brown. Let cool on the pan for 1-2 minutes before scooping them onto a cooling rack.
Speaking of Pioneer Woman, you all have been to her Tasty Kitchen site, right? It has become my go-to place when I want to try a new recipe. It’s like having access to thousands of recipe boxes, where everyone keeps only their very favorites. Yum!
Sheri whowantsalongsweateroutofAlpaca – doesthatsurpriseanyone?
Most of the clothes in my closet are from JJill – they make the best fitting pants! I love how there are so many sweaters in the catalogs this fall – so we can smugly say – ‘oh, I could make that!’ You would look especially good in those long sweaters, Sheri – you’re so tall!
Love the sugar cookie recipe! Will have to check it out. It’s almost cookie-baking season again…(and long sweaters will hide the fact that I’ve eaten too many – ha!)
Lemon extract can be pretty intense and I’m not sure I’d make a 1:1 swap. A little drop will do ya. Or, better yet, try some finely chopped lemon rind.
Using lemon rind and juice in stead of vanilla would be nice, too, or make the vanilla ones, smear lemon curd on and let the curd dry in the switched off oven, or ….
I’ll have to try these this week-end! (Reminder to self – After the bread is done, ok? We need the bread for school lunches.)
Another good cooking site is cookingforengineers.com . He has the BEST peanut butter cookie recipe ever and includes directions for making them thin and crispy or soft and chewy.
When my Mom would make sugar cookies it was my job to smash them with the glass dipped in sugar. These were Santa’s favorite cookies.
Yum…yum…and yum!
Too bad I have no fresh baked sugar cookies right this second! It’s a problem.
I had to go and check these out. Looks like fun. You could flatten the cookies with a glass dipped in colored sugar or various kinds of sprinkles.
The nutmeg might be added so that like Cardamom, the cookie has a bit of the Scandinavian seasoning. Thanks for the recipe, as I have been wanting a good, soft sugar cookie. Now to get that cool, soft buttery frosting recipe to top them off!!!
Try using some lemon zest. It should add a subtle, yet lemony taste.
I own The Pioneer Woman’s cookbook, and about once a month or once every two months I’ll make “THOSE sandwiches”. Well, she calls them something else. But in this house? They’re “THOSE sandwiches”, because oh my goodness, they are marriage-making material.
But then, we also renamed the chocolate-oatmeal no-bake drop cookies to “What Cookies”, because that’s the answer to the question, “Where are the cookies we just made?” They’re usually gone so fast.
Yum – many of my very fav recipes have come from the internet. (including this blog – garlic chicken pizza, I’m looking at you!!) You know what I think would be a really good substitute for this recipe – almond extract!
I agree with the others that lemon zest would be the way to go. If you like lemon cookies, my favorites are these: http://orangette.blogspot.com/2008/04/because-of-cookies.html
They’re a great way to use up a little bit of buttermilk (or regular milk as you can always make your own if you already have that lemon on hand!).
My sister made these lemon sugar cookies last year at Christmas and I totally fell in love with them: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1182852
They use a combination of lemon juice and zest (as someone mentioned above). The lemony flavor really brightened up what I usually consider a rather boring cookie (I’m more of a ‘hot’ chocolate cookie fan) and the cookies stayed soft far longer than sugar cookies usually do. We did decide that a royal icing would probably be better than the icing they suggest in the article, though.
I think my mother-in-law adds lemon rind to the white sugar and lets it sit for a few days. She takes the lemon rind out and uses the sugar. I wonder if this could be where the lemon taste came from?
Sheri,
I’d be willing to try getting the pattern right. Would you supply the yarn? Do you own the vest or would I need to order one?
Susan
oh….my diet has been going so well until I saw your cookies. I’m thinking candied ginger, lemon zest and poppy seeds with a powdered sugar/vanilla glaze……maybe if I spend an extra hour at the gym????
Penzey’s spice shop has vanilla sugar that I plan to sprinkle on top of these cookies. I also have a jar of powdered sugar with a vanilla bean stuck in it-that powdered sugar makes a plain cooky special.
I can’t find a lemon extract strong enough. I get a lemon oil from Sur La Table or Penzey’s for my husband’s favorite lemon cookies.
Thanks for the recipes-cannot wait to try them.
Sheri –
Yes! to long sweaters and your vest idea, no I can’t write it up for you though. Yes! to yummy sugar cookies. Yes! to Pioneer Woman (love her!!) Yes! to a long all alpaca sweater. Oh yeah – Yes! to J. Jill and Kohl’s. Are you a fan of Chico’s by any chance?? Have a great weekend. 🙂
Kim
I collect old church cookbooks, they have many good recipes , I figure if they are in there, they have tried and tested. I love long sweaters , back in the late 70’s long sweaters with shawl collars where the thing . I sure miss mine.
I want a long sweater vest out of alpaca. Might have to search for a pattern. I have lots of hand spun alpaca in my stash. Nice to have a friend who is an alpaca farmer with 30 animals last count.
Busy weekend so don’t think I responded. Yes, long sweaters/tunics are back along with the leggings or skinny pants. I laughed when one of my college-aged friends was talking about the girls wearing long shirts etc and leggings how they weren’t appropriately dressed. I wanted to reply that once upon a time her momma probably dressed that way–except she probably wore stirrup pants.
I want to make the Derbyshire Tunic in Interweave Knits Weekend. (I call it a tabard.) Not sure alpaca will work for that. I just bought 3.5 pounds of raw alpaca fleece so I can spin some up. (also have 7 lbs of corriedale roving to pick up at SAFF in a few weeks). And still haven’t reorganized stash to make space.
Sugar cookies are yummy! Can my kids put some toppings like sprinkle on the top? Or it will just make it too sweet? Thanks for the recipe. It is very easy and simple to do.
I don’t have lemon extract in the house, but I might have lemon oil (I know I have lime oil). With the cold pressed oils, they suggest about a 1/4 teaspoon for every 2 cups of dry ingredients (or something similar), because it is very strong.
I would also add zest. I am not that old, but I remember lemon sugar cookies, but now they are really hard to find without making them yourself.
Check out the other recipes in the collection of sugar cookies and see what they did to add the citrus flavor. I imagine 1/2 tesp of vanilla and 1 tsp of lemon zest because it is delecate? don’t really know for sure…
This one is perfect! My kids and I can add some topping for the cookies. They wills surely enjoy making this cookies. Thanks for the recipe.