day 1 … Sparkly Sugar Cookies

Here we go … Day 1 of 12 Days of Cookies, the 2022 Edition. Starting off slow and easy with these pretty, sparkly cookies. After the Thanksgiving crush, gift shopping and the general head spin that precedes December 1^st, an easy one is required. 

First move: round up some pretty sugars or sprinkles. I particularly like the large grain sugars; they’re extra sparkly. These things are everywhere right now – grocery stores, craft stores, dollar stores, online. The best selection is right now and probably on sale too. You can also make your own colored sugar if the mood strikes. Just put ¼ cup sugar in a plastic bag, add 1-3 drops of gel/paste food coloring and smoosh/shake it to blend. Turn the sugar out into a clean sheet pan and let dry for several hours. Easy.

Once you have your sugars figured out, take the room temperature butter cookie dough, mix in a few simple things then roll it into tablespoon sized balls (or whatever size you like) and give it a good roll in that colored sugar to fully coat. Bake, giving them a gentle press halfway through to flatten. That’s it. Pretty. Easy. Delicious. It’s also a good one to turn to if you have scraps of dough left from an odd sized batch. And if your cookie tin needs a little color and sparkle, this is the one.

12 Days of Cookies from years past:

Fruity: Jam Thumbprints, Jam Streusel Tarts, Raspberry Linzer Squares, Lemon Poppyseed Buttons, Orange Sesame Crisps, Cranberry Pistachio Coins, Almond Raspberry Strips, Orange Sandwich Cookies, Apricot Rosemary Shortbread, Coconut Lime Sticks, Bourbon Glazed Fruitcake Buttons, Lemon Cornmeal Biscotti, Blueberry Lime Buttons, Date Swirls

Nutty: Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes, Pecan Tassies, Maple Black Walnut Cookies, PB&J Sandwich Cookies, Pecan Triangles, 

Spiced: Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheels, Candied Ginger Spice Buttons, Cardamom Rose Coins, Brown Sugar Wafers with Lemon Lavender Glaze

Chocolate: Basic Chocolate Butter Cookie Dough, Mexican Chocolate Crinkles, Chocolate Cocoa Nib Wafers,Raspberry Chocolate Drops, Chocolate Hazelnut Buttons, Dark Mocha Sandwich Cookies, Espresso Crinkles, Cranberry Cocoa Nib Wafers, Chocolate Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Lebkuchen, Fudge Tarts, Chocolate Marzipan Drops, Chocolate Coconut Bullseyes, Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Almond Crescents, Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

Bars: Rum Butter Bars, Peppermint Brownie Bars, Banana Walnut Bars, Chocolate Banana Petit Fours

Holiday Classics: Cream Cheese Wreaths, Classic Molasses Cookies, Peppermint Candy Canes, Andes Mint Chip Cookies, Holiday Mallomars

This year:

Base Butter Cookie Dough

SPARKLY SUGAR COOKIES 

Base Butter Cookie Dough – recipe here

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, place the rack in the lower third of the oven and line a sheet pan or two with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
2. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the room temperature butter cookie dough, baking powder, salt and sugar.
3. Place the colored sugar or sprinkles of choice in small bowls.
4. Roll the cookie dough into tablespoon sized balls.
5. Roll the balls in the colored sugar to fully coat, pressing lightly to help the sugar adhere.
6. Place on the prepared sheet pan, 1” apart to allow for spreading, and bake for 5 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and give each cookie a gentle press to flatten a little. Return to the oven for an additional 5-7 minutes until the cookies are firm to the touch but still soft in the centers and golden brown on the bottoms.
8. Let cool.
9. Cookie dough can be rolled into balls and frozen up to 3 months. The colored sugars sticks best if the dough is soft.

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