Election Day Sugar Cookies Recipes

EASTER EGG SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• For the sugar dough: Whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Beat together the vanilla and egg in a small bowl.
• Beat the butter, granulated sugar and confectioners' sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed. Once incorporated, increase the speed to medium and beat until slightly creamy, about 3 minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl using a rubber spatula as needed.
• Reduce the speed to low again, slowly pour in the egg mixture and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, beating until combined after each and increasing the speed as the dough gets thicker to keep the beaters spinning. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beaters as needed. Once all the flour is just incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the dough is very smooth, about 5 minutes.
• Turn the dough out of the bowl and bring it together. Divide into 2 even pieces. Shape each piece into a flat square and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hours or overnight.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Dust another sheet of parchment with flour and put 1 dough piece on top. Dust with more flour and top with another sheet of parchment. Roll the dough out between the parchment sheets into a square about 1/4 inch thick (and about 11 by 9 inches) and place in the freezer for 5 minutes. Repeat with the remaining piece of dough.
• Working with 1 dough sheet at a time, cut out cookies with a 2 1/2- by 2 2/4-inch Easter egg cookie cutter and arrange on the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Refrigerate while you cut the remaining cookies. Reroll any scraps of dough and repeat the freezing, cutting and refrigerating process until all the dough is used. Repeat with the remaining dough sheet.
• Bake, rotating the baking sheets front to back and bottom to top about halfway through, until cookies are golden brown around the edges, about 12 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets set on a wire rack, about 30 minutes.
• For the icing: Meanwhile, sift the confectioners' sugar into a large bowl. Add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until the icing is thick enough to show the line of the whisk that disappears within about 8 seconds.
• Place 3 tablespoons white icing in each of 3 separate bowls. Tint each a different color and cover with plastic wrap (see Cook's Note). Place 1/4 cup white icing in another bowl, covering the remaining white icing with plastic wrap so it does not dry out. Drizzle one of the colored icings (about 1 tablespoon) onto the 1/4 cup white icing and swirl with a toothpick.
• Next, dip the surface of a cookie in the swirled icing and remove slowly, allowing any excess to drip off. Shake the cookie over the bowl of icing to remove any excess. Gently smooth the icing with a toothpick to fill in any gaps, if necessary. Place the finished cookies on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Use the tip of the toothpick to pop any bubbles that appear. Drizzle more colored icing as needed. Repeat this process with the next 2 colors and the remaining white icing until all the cookies are decorated. Let set for 30 minutes. Store single layers of cookies, with parchment in between, in a tightly sealed container for up to 1 week.

ELECTION CAKE

Steps:

• Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a large bowl. Stir a few times, then let stand until the yeast has dissolved and the mixture begins to bubble, 1 to 2 minutes. Sift 1 1/2 cups of the flour into the bowl, and stir until mostly smooth. Cover with plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm place for about 30 minutes. The mixture will expand, loosen in texture and have large bubbles on the surface.
• Meanwhile, place the dried fruit, pecans, brandy and 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar in a microwave-safe bowl, stir until the sugar is dissolved, then microwave until hot and bubbling, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir, then set aside to cool.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, cinnamon, cardamom and salt. Generously butter a 12-cup Bundt pan; set aside.
• When the flour-yeast mixture has risen, beat the butter with the granulated sugar and remaining 3/4 cup brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed in a large bowl until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, until combined (the mixture may look slightly curdled at this stage), then add 1 teaspoon of the vanilla. Beat in the flour-yeast mixture. Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low, then gradually beat in the flour-spice mixture. Raise the mixer speed to medium, add the fruit-nut mixture with any remaining liquid and beat until the fruit is well blended. The dough should be soft, loose and elastic, almost like brioche dough or an extremely thick batter.
• Transfer the dough to the prepared Bundt pan, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until the dough fills the pan a little more than 3/4 of the way, about 1 hour. When the cake is almost done rising, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Remove the plastic wrap from the cake. Bake the cake until golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Loosen the sides with a small metal spatula, and turn the cake out, flat-side down, onto the wire rack to cool completely.
• Before serving, stir together the confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon of the milk and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in a small bowl. Gradually add as much of the second tablespoon of milk as needed to make a thick glaze that will just gently run. Spoon the glaze over the top of the cake, allowing it to run down the outside and inside.

VALENTINE'S DAY SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• For the cookies: Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and mix until fully incorporated, about 1 minute. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and mix until well combined, scraping down sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed, about 2 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time, roll the dough on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper until it's about 1/8-inch thick. Using heart-shaped cookie cutters, cut the dough and place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart (a small off-set spatula is really helpful when transferring the cookies). After both pieces of dough have been rolled out and cut, combine the dough scraps and re-roll and cut to utilize as much of the dough as possible.
• Bake until the cookies are just barely golden around the edges, rotating halfway through, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
• For the icing: Meanwhile, whisk the confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth. The consistency should be similar to that of slightly thinned yogurt and should coat the back of a spoon. Adjust with additional confectioners' sugar or milk, if needed.
• Place 2 tablespoons of icing into each of 2 small bowls. Add 4 drops of red gel food coloring to one bowl and 2 drops of pink gel food coloring to the other and stir until fully incorporated. Using a small spoon, drizzle a small amount of each color over the white icing and then repeatedly drag a toothpick through the icing until you create a marbled effect.
• Working with one cooled cookie at a time, carefully dip it face-side down into the icing and allow any excess to drip off before placing the cooking back on the cooling rack. Add additional red and pink icing to the bigger bowl of icing as needed to maintain the marbling effect. Decorate with sprinkles (if using) before allowing to the icing to fully set, about 4 to 5 hours.

ELECTION DAY SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Mix the vanilla and egg with a fork in a small bowl.
• Beat the butter, granulated sugar and confectioners' sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer on low speed until the butter has picked up the sugars, about 30 seconds. (If using a hand mixer, beat about 2 minutes.) Increase the speed to medium and beat until slightly creamy, stopping halfway to scrape the bowl, about 1 minute (about 3 minutes with a hand mixer).
• Reduce the speed to low, slowly add in the egg mixture and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture a heaping cup at a time in 2 additions, stopping a few times to scrape the bowl and beaters. (If using a hand mixer, increase the speed as the dough gets thicker to keep the beaters spinning.) Once all the flour is just incorporated, add the confetti stars, increase the speed to medium (higher with a hand mixer) and beat until the dough is very smooth, about 2 minutes (about 5 minutes with a hand mixer).
• Turn the dough out of the bowl and bring it together. Divide the dough into 2 even pieces, each about 11 ounces. Shape each piece into a 6-inch square and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hours and up to overnight.
• Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Take the dough pieces out of the refrigerator and let soften until just pliable but still cool and firm, about 15 minutes.
• Dust a piece of parchment with flour. Dust one square of the dough with flour and roll it to about 1/4 inch thick. Lift the dough occasionally by sliding a metal spatula or bench scraper underneath to make sure it isn't sticking to the parchment. Cut out cookies into stars and letters with 3-inch cutters, as close together as possible; transfer to one of the prepared baking sheets, leaving 1 inch between them. Gather together the scraps and repeat with the remaining dough. Sprinkle more stars over the top of the cookies and gently press down so they stick. Freeze the cookies on the baking sheet while you repeat with the other dough. Freeze the cookies about 10 minutes before baking.
• Bake, rotating the baking sheets from front to back and top to bottom halfway through, until the cookies are light golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets on a cooling rack, about 30 minutes.

GAME DAY COOKIES

Steps:

• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Cook the bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Pour off the drippings into a small bowl, keeping the bacon in the skillet; set the drippings aside and let cool.
• Add 2 teaspoons brown sugar and the water to the skillet with the bacon and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the bacon is crisp, about 1 minute. Transfer the bacon mixture to a plate and spread out; let cool.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter, 2 tablespoons of the reserved bacon drippings, the remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar and the granulated sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the whole egg, egg yolk and vanilla until well combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour mixture until just combined. Add the pretzels, chocolate chips, candy-coated chocolates and bacon and beat until just combined. Stir in the potato chips with a rubber spatula.
• Roll the dough into large balls (about 3 tablespoons each). Arrange 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are golden and set around the edges but still soft in the middle, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the pans, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

APPLE'S RESTAURANT ELECTION DAY COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Cream butter, gradually add sugars, beating well.
• Add eggs and vanilla, beat well.
• In separate bowl: combine flour, baking powder, soda, and salt - stir well.
• Add to butter mixture, beat at low speed until blended.
• Stir in toffee bits, chocolate chips.
• Drop dough by heaping tablespoons (ice cream scoop works great) onto ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake 10-15 minutes or until cookie is lightly browned.
• Let cool slightly on sheets, then cool completely on wire racks.

VOTING PARTY COOKIES RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix with a fork.
• In a separate large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric hand mixer for 3-5 minutes, until butter and sugar are fully combined, but before the mixture becomes fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat to incorporate. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined, but crumbly. Finish mixing with your hands until the dough comes together in a ball.
• Transfer the dough to a floured surface. Lightly flour the top of the dough and roll out to about ¼-inch thick. Use cookie cutters of your choice to punch out cookies. Place the cookie cut-outs on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake for 10 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges. Let cool completely.
• Decorate the cookies with royal icing and let dry completely, at least 3-4 hours or overnight.
• Enjoy!