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RECIPE BACKSTORY
Last Thanksgiving, my Aunt Megan and Uncle Chuck invited us to their house in Lake Arrowhead, California, to enjoy an epic feast. We brought the kids and wound our way up to their perch in the hills. Before we could ask questions, my aunt formed us into a sugar cookie making assembly line. My stepson dumped the ingredients into the stand mixer and my daughter flipped the switch to high. Flour flew like snow. Then, my aunt rolled the giant dough ball between layers of cling film (an ingenious technique) to flatten it. We all took turns choosing cookie cutters, mashing the metal shapes into soft dough until our arms and wrists ached. The best reward was the simple, perfect pleasure of the warm cookie. Were they iced or decorated? I honestly can't remember. I do know that I ate probably 300 of those crispy, perfect nibbles over the next three days of feasting. My aunt set them out on an array of plates and set them anywhere that looked lonely and in need of a cookie. I never even strayed close to the profusion of pies. The cookies kept me going all through the mounds of dishes, prepping and packing.
True confession. I've always been a cookie monster. You can take your pies, your cakes, your tarts. I'll take cookies, but only good ones, please, and lots of them. So, my aunt found my perfect soft spot. Crisp, buttery, slightly salty cookies. As this year's Thanksgiving nears, my only change is to add a dollop of Red Hen Cannery jam or marmalade in the middle. I especially recommend using my Spiced Wine and Orange Marmalade, only available through the holidays, but the choice is really up to you. The recipe below is based on Martha Stewart's amazing "Basic Sugar Cookie" recipe. Enjoy and let me know how your baking goes! These cookies will take you from Thanksgiving through the holidays and all the way to sweet Valentine's Day. Hearts with Strawberry Vanilla Jam, perhaps? Whatever your occasion, I promise these cookies (plus my preserves) will get you through.
True confession. I've always been a cookie monster. You can take your pies, your cakes, your tarts. I'll take cookies, but only good ones, please, and lots of them. So, my aunt found my perfect soft spot. Crisp, buttery, slightly salty cookies. As this year's Thanksgiving nears, my only change is to add a dollop of Red Hen Cannery jam or marmalade in the middle. I especially recommend using my Spiced Wine and Orange Marmalade, only available through the holidays, but the choice is really up to you. The recipe below is based on Martha Stewart's amazing "Basic Sugar Cookie" recipe. Enjoy and let me know how your baking goes! These cookies will take you from Thanksgiving through the holidays and all the way to sweet Valentine's Day. Hearts with Strawberry Vanilla Jam, perhaps? Whatever your occasion, I promise these cookies (plus my preserves) will get you through.
JAMMY BUTTER COOKIES
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. unsalted butter (or omit the salt above if you use salted butter)
1 c. granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 jar Red Hen Cannery Spice Wine and Orange Marmalade
1/2 c. powdered sugar (for rolling out dough)
Directions: Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Mix butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Roll out cookies between cling film and then move flattened dough to surface lightly dusted with powdered sugar. Use cookie cutters (or the lid of Mason jar) to cut out shapes or rounds. Transfer to a baking sheet. Gently indent them in the center with a spoon and dollop with marmalade. Bake at 350 degrees for 5-12 minutes.
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. unsalted butter (or omit the salt above if you use salted butter)
1 c. granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 jar Red Hen Cannery Spice Wine and Orange Marmalade
1/2 c. powdered sugar (for rolling out dough)
Directions: Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Mix butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Roll out cookies between cling film and then move flattened dough to surface lightly dusted with powdered sugar. Use cookie cutters (or the lid of Mason jar) to cut out shapes or rounds. Transfer to a baking sheet. Gently indent them in the center with a spoon and dollop with marmalade. Bake at 350 degrees for 5-12 minutes.
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