Pioneer Woman Sugar Cookies Recipes

SUGAR COOKIE STARS

Steps:

• For the cookies: Beat the shortening, granulated sugar, orange zest and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until thoroughly combined, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the egg until light and fluffy, then beat in the milk.
• Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. With the mixer on low speed, beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture until just combined. Divide the dough in half; flatten each half between 2 sheets of parchment or wax paper, wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or freeze for 20 minutes.
• For the glaze: Whisk the egg yolk, water and food coloring in a small bowl until well combined.
• Preheat the oven to 375 ̊. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out 1 piece of dough on a lightly floured surface until about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into stars or other shapes with 2- to 3-inch cookie cutters. Arrange the cookies about 2 inches apart on the prepared pans. Brush the tops with the egg yolk glaze.
• Bake the cookies until set but not browned, about 6 minutes. Let cool 3 minutes on the pan, then remove to racks to cool completely. Decorate with royal icing and sanding sugar. Let set about 1 hour.

BUTTERFLY SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• For the cookies: Combine the granulated sugar, butter and orange zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and eggs and beat until fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through with a spatula.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl.
• With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk in 2 batches; mix until the dough comes together.
• Divide the dough in half and flatten each portion into a disk. Place each disk into a separate resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate the dough until firm, about 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out both pieces of dough until about 1/4 inch thick.
• Using 2 different sized butterfly cookie cutters (2-inch and 3-inch), cut out as many cookies as you can. Use the 2-inch cutter on one portion of dough and the 3-inch cutter on the other portion of dough. Be sure to dip the cutters in flour every other cookie or so while you are cutting them out to prevent the dough from sticking.
• Transfer as many of the cookies as will fit onto the prepared baking sheets and bake until they're just set but not browned, about 7 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then remove to racks to cool completely before decorating. Repeat with the remaining cookies.
• For the icing: Combine the powdered sugar, milk and egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed until thick and glossy. Add more powdered sugar if the icing seems too thin. Add more milk if it is too thick. You may need to play with it until it is just right. The icing should be loose enough to stick to the cookies in an even layer, but not too loose to slide off.
• For decorating: Divide the icing among 3 or 4 smaller bowls. Add 2 to 3 drops each of red and orange food coloring to each bowl, scattering it over the surface of the icing. Drag a toothpick through the drops a few times to make swirls.
• Dip the top of each cookie in the icing and let the excess drip off over the bowl. Transfer the dipped cookies to a rack and allow to dry completely. When the colors in the first bowl of icing become too muddled, move on to the next bowl of icing and so forth until all the cookies are iced. Let the icing dry completely, about 1 hour.

CINNAMON SUGAR SCRAP COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
• Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Form the dough scraps into a ball and roll to 1/4 inch thick. Brush with the melted butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters, such as a 2-inch star cutter, and transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake until golden, about 12 minutes.

EVERYTHING SUGAR COOKIE (DOUGH!)

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the sugar and butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and eggs and beat on medium speed until just combined. Add the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix everything on low speed until just combined. Stir in the pretzels. toffee bits and potato chips until you have an even mix.
• Using waxed paper, roll the dough into 3 logs (each about 12 inches long). If you want to enjoy these later, wrap the waxed paper logs in plastic wrap and pop in the freezer
• When ready to bake from fresh or frozen, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Slice the dough into 3/4-inch-thick slices with a sharp knife (no need to thaw), place on the prepared baking sheet and bake until the edges are light brown and the middle has set, about 15 minutes. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

BUTTERFLY SUGAR COOKIES ARE THE PERFECT SPRINGTIME TREAT

Steps:

• For the cookies: Combine the butter, granulated sugar and orange zest in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until smooth, then add the eggs and vanilla. Beat again, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into a separate bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk, until the dough comes together.
• Divide the dough in half, then flatten both halves into disks and place them in separate resealable plastic bags. Refrigerate the dough until firm, about 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350˚. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out both pieces of dough until about 1/4 inch thick and cut out as many cookies as you can with 2- to 3-inch butterfly cookie cutters. Place the cookies on the baking sheets and bake until they're just set but not browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then remove to racks to cool completely before decorating.
• For the icing: Combine the powdered sugar, milk and egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium-high speed until thick and glossy. Add more powdered sugar if the icing seems too thin. Just play with it until it's right. The icing should be stiff enough to dip the top side of the cookie and get a thick, even layer.
• Divide the icing among 3 or 4 smaller bowls. Add 2 to 3 drops each of red and orange food coloring to each bowl, scattering it over the surface of the icing. Drag a toothpick through the drops a few times to make swirls. Dip the top side of each cookie in the icing and let the excess drip off, then let dry on a rack. When the first bowl of icing becomes too muddled, move on to the next. Let the icing dry completely, about 1 hour.

FRUIT TARTS

Steps:

• Put the cookie dough slices on parchment-lined baking sheets and slightly flatten each one. Bake according to the package instructions, then set aside to cool.
• In a bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread some onto each cooled cookie. Arrange a kiwi slice, strawberry piece, raspberry and 2 blueberries on top of each. Warm the apple jelly in a small pan over low heat until just loosened, 2 to 3 minutes. Brush the fruit with the apple jelly to glaze it, then garnish each with a mint leaf.

ANGEL SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, oil, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, vanilla and eggs. Add the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt and mix well. Cover and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
• Using a cookie scoop, drop balls of dough onto ungreased, unlined baking sheets. Smear a dab of butter all over the bottom of a glass, then dip the glass in granulated sugar. Use the glass to flatten each ball of dough, dipping again into the sugar each time. Then sprinkle blue sanding sugar (about 1/2 teaspoon per cookie) over half of the cookies, and purple sanding sugar over the other half.
• Bake until the cookies are just barely turning brown, 9 to 11 minutes. Don't overbrown! Allow to cool before eating. The cookies are ultra crumbly!

MY FAVORITE CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Steps:

• For the cookies: Using a stand mixer, cream the shortening, granulated sugar, orange peel and vanilla thoroughly, about 2 minutes. Add in the egg and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 more minute. Add in the milk and mix.
• Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together, and then blend into the cream mixture. Divide the dough in half (thirds if you double your recipe), slightly flatten between 2 sheets of waxed paper and refrigerate for 1 hour (or freeze for 20 minutes).
• Roll out the dough 1/4-inch thick on a lightly floured surface and cut into shapes with a cookie cutter. Transfer the shapes to lightly greased cookie sheets and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
• For the egg yolk glaze: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. While the dough is chilling, combine the egg yolk, 1 teaspoon water and food coloring. Paint the cookies (with a soft brush) with the egg yolk glaze.
• Bake the cookies for 6 to 7 minutes. Do not allow the cookies to brown. The cookies will be slightly puffed and the glaze will look crackled. Bake in 2 batches if you don't reroll the scraps.
• For the decorative white icing: While the cookies are baking, mix the powdered sugar, milk and egg whites. Make sure that it is thick and somewhat retains its shape.
• Remove the cookies from the oven to a wire rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Then, using a pastry bag or zip-top bag, pipe the cookies with the white icing to decorate.