Sand Dollar Sugar Cookies Recipes

SAND DOLLAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Cut two pieces of parchment or waxed paper into 12-by-20-inch rectangles. Set aside. In the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together butter, confectioners' sugar, and 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar on medium-low speed. Add vanilla extract; mix until just combined.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together salt and flour. With mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix dough, scraping down sides of bowl once or twice, until just combined.
• Transfer dough to center of one of the reserved pieces of parchment paper. Place second piece of reserved parchment paper directly over dough. Shape dough into a round. On a flat surface, roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Chill until firm on a baking sheet, about 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk egg together with 1 teaspoon cold water. Set aside. Line two baking pans with Silpats. Set aside.
• Remove chilled dough from refrigerator, and place on a flat surface. Remove parchment paper from surface of dough, and reserve. Using a 3 1/2-inch round cutter, cut out dough rounds, and transfer to prepared baking pans; space rounds about 2 inches apart. Lightly brush cookies with egg wash, and decorate with three sliced almonds.
• In a small bowl, combine remaining 2 tablespoons sugar with cinnamon. Sprinkle over cookies.
• Bake until light golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.
• Reroll remaining dough between reserved parchment to 1/8-inch thickness, and chill until firm, about 1 hour. Repeat steps 5, 6, and 7 with chilled dough.

SAND DOLLAR COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in extract. Combine the flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Divide dough in half. Shape each into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm enough to roll., Preheat oven to 325°. Roll each portion of dough between waxed paper to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a 3-1/2-in. round cookie cutter dipped in flour. Using a floured spatula, place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Brush with egg. Decorate with almonds to resemble sand dollars and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. , Bake 12-16 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks.

SAND-DOLLAR SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets. Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Cut the butter into pats, and add it to the bowl, along with the shortening. Mix until the dough is evenly crumbly. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla and almond extracts, the egg, and the yolk. Add this to the crumbly dough, mixing till it becomes cohesive. Roll the dough into 1 ½" balls, and place them on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 ½" between them. Or use a tablespoon cookie scoop (overfill it, to yield a 3" to 3 ½" cookie) to deposit balls of dough on the sheets. Flatten the balls to about ½" thickness. Press 3 to 5 almonds in a star pattern into the center of each cookie (a sand dollar has a five-pointed star in its center). Bake the cookies for about 16 minutes, until they feel set but a fingerprint will remain if pressed in the center. If you bake cookies till they're totally set, and your fingerprint springs back, they'll be crispy to the point of rock-hardness. Remove the cookies from the oven, and allow them to cool on the sheets.

VANILLA SAND DOLLAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners or grease generously with butter or cooking spray. With a pastry brush, lightly coat a cookie stamp with a neutral-tasting vegetable oil, such as canola, or mist it with cooking spray.
• Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter, sugar, and vanilla on medium-low speed until combined. Add the flour and salt and mix on low speed just until thoroughly combined. (Don't overmix here or the cookies can be tough.) Using a 1 1/4-inch scoop, drop the dough on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Stamp each dough ball firmly enough to make an imprint, but don't press so hard that the cookie flattens to less than 1/4 inch thick. Bake until the cookies begin to look golden brown around the edges, about 10 minutes. The cookies will keep for a few days in an airtight container.
• You'll find cookie stamps in many patterns at most well-stocked specialty kitchen stores, or check out www.rycraft.com. In addition to ones depicting sand dollars, they stock numerous others that are sea-related, including seahorses, sea turtles, crabs, starfish, and dolphins.