Scarlett WSugar Cookies
August 15th 2007 11:16
Sugar Cookies
About Cookies
In the United States and Canada, a cookie (sometimes spelled cooky) is a small, flat baked pastry. In most English-speaking countries outside North America, the most common word for this is biscuit; in many regions both terms are used, while in others the two word have different meanings - a cookie is a bun in Scotland, while in North America a biscuit is a kind of quick bread.
A general theory of cookies may be formulated this way. Despite their descent from cakes and other sweetened breads, the cookie in almost all its forms has abandoned water as a medium for cohesion. Water in cakes serves to make the base (in the case of cakes called ‘batter’) as thin as possible, which allows the bubbles – responsible for a cake’s fluffiness – to form better. In the cookie, the agent of cohesion has become some variation of the theme of oil. Oils, be they in the form of butter, egg yolks, vegetable oils or lard are much more viscous than water and evaporate freely at a much higher temperature than water. Thus a cake made with butter or eggs instead of water is far denser after removal from the oven.
About Brandy
Brandy (short for brandywine, from Dutch brandewijn – ‘burn wine’) is a general term for distilled wine, usually 40 – 60% ethyl alcohol by volume. In addition to wine, this spirit can also be made from grape pomace or fermented fruit juice. Unless specified otherwise, brandy is made from grape wine. It is normally consumed as an after-dinner drink.
Claret is the liquor for bous; port for men; but he who aspires to be a hero must drink brandy.
INGREDIENTS
Makes about forty 2- to 3-inch cookies
1 cup sweet butter, softened
2 cups sugar, plus additional for sprinkling over cookies
2 eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon brandy
4½ cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup milk
1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together with a whisk until light and fluffy.
2. Add eggs, vanilla, and brandy and blend thoroughly.
3. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Add flour mixture to creamed butter 1 cup at a time, alternating with milk, and beating thoroughly after each addition.
5. Divide dough into four parts, form into balls, wrap each in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour.
6. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
7. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough, one ball at a time, to ⅛-inch thick and cut out with a 2- to 3-inch diameter cookie cutter.
8. Place on buttered or parchment-covered baking sheets.
9. Sprinkle each cookie lightly with sugar.
10. Bake in the center of the oven for 8 – 10 minutes, do not allow cookies to brown.
11. Transfer to wire racks and let cool.
**From “Outdoor Entertaining” and “Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia”**
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