Swig {Knockoff} Sugar Cookies

I was preparing to make sugar cookies for Valentine's Day, when I came across a friend's post on Instagram. She had just visited St. George, Utah for the weekend and had posted about Swig's famous sugar cookies that I've heard so much about. I have never tried them, but I found a recipe online and made them as a dessert for my kids' lunches this week.... Then I made them again today... for Valentine's Day... which is this weekend! They are SO good! Now, I'm going to hide the rest of them in my freezer so I don't eat any more!

I like them for 2 reasons: They aren't overly sweet and I don't have to roll out the dough and cut them into shapes. Kind of lazy of me, but these do the trick. I even added some Valentine's sprinkles and VOILA... Very festive (easy) sugar cookies!

So, until I actually get to try a sugar cookie from Swig, these are my favorite little sweet treat.

Recipe slightly adapted from Tastebook (added vanilla & decreased salt in frosting). 

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

COOKIES:
1 cup butter (room temperature)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup sugar
3/4 c. powdered sugar
2 Tbs. water
2 eggs
Dash of almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. Cream of Tartar
1 tsp. salt
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Cream together butter, vegetable oil, sugars, water, eggs, almond and vanilla extracts. Combine dry ingredients and slowly add to butter mixture. Mix until everything is combined. Your dough should be a little crumbly and not sticky at all.

Roll a golf ball sized ball of dough and place it on your cookie sheet (I used a cookie scoop). Now it's time to give these babies their signature rough edge. Put 1/4 c. of sugar in a dish (this is in addition to the sugar listed above). Stick the bottom of a glass in it. This is going to be your cookie press.

Firmly press it into the center of your dough ball. You want your dough to spill out over the sides of the glass. If there is a lip, it's even better.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 8 minutes. I like to take mine out just before they begin to brown and let them cool for 1-2 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. Once they are cool, put them in the fridge.

FROSTING:

1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
3/4 cup sour cream
About 1 (2 pound) package of powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-4 Tbs. milk
red food coloring (optional)

Start by creaming together butter, sour cream and salt. Slowly add powdered sugar. When it gets too thick, add a splash of milk.

Alternate this process until your frosting is the desired consistency. Add 1 drop of red food coloring and whip on high for 1 minute. Frost cookies when cool and store cookies in the fridge until ready to serve.

Sugar Cookies

2 cups Butter

2 cups Sugar

6 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp almond extract

7 cups flour

6 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Cream butter and sugar, add eggs and mix, stir in vanilla and almond extract. Then add dry ingredients. Roll out and cut into shapes. Bake at 375 for 7 minutes.

Frosting: I use the buttercream frosting found on the powdered sugar bag.

Frosted Sugar Cookies

Okay, it's confession time... I almost always have fresh homemade cookies in our home. We grew up that way, I really love baking, and my kids love a homemade cookie in their lunches. Luckily, once they are cooled, I usually don't eat them, but I cannot refuse a cookie hot out of the oven! The one cookie that I consider a little more labor-intensive (but are irresistible when cooled and frosted) is the sugar cookie. We made some for Valentine's Day this week and had some fun experimented with different cookie and frosting recipes. After trying 2 new versions, I still love my Mom's recipe and this sugar cookie recipe I have in my recipe box that's written in my 5th grade handwriting (recipe below)! I still need to try Brooke's recipe. She's an amazing cook, so I'm sure they're fabulous!
*Click HERE for Brooke's Sugar Cookie recipe.
*Click HERE for my Mom's Sugar Cookie recipe.

Soft & Easy Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. almond extract

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 cup cream, sour cream or buttermilk

3 Tbs. cornstarch

2 3/4- 3 cups flour

Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, almond and vanilla extracts, salt and baking powder and mix until well combined. With mixer on low, add the cream and mix well. Add the cornstarch and half of the flour. Add remaining flour a little at a time until you reach the right consistency, mixing until just combined. 

Divide dough into 2 balls. Place a sheet of parchment or waxed paper on a cookie sheet and flour a rolling pin. Roll dough out to desired thickness, then add another sheet of parchment or waxed paper on top. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Remove from fridge and remove top sheet of parchment or waxed paper and cut into shapes! This saves you from a flour-y mess! (You can also chill dough, then roll out and cut into shapes on a floured surface.)

Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 350° F. for 7-10 minutes at , or until set but not browned. Cool for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

---------->What to frost them with???

• Click HERE for our Mom's frosting recipe (I use almond in place of lemon for these cookies)
• Click HERE for Frosting recipe from Keeping Up Cookbook
• Click HERE for Vanilla or Chocolate Buttercream Frosting recipe

Chocolate-Dipped Fortune Cookies

Did you know that Valentine's Day is also Chinese New Year this year? We attended a fabulous Chinese New Year party last weekend with some friends and I made these easy and fun Chocolate-Dipped Fortune Cookies. My kids had fun helping me dip and decorate them. Happy Valentine's and Happy year of the Rabbit!

Ingredients:

     Packaged fortune cookies (each box has about 12 cookies)

     Candy Melts chocolate discs in various colors

     Sprinkles, Non-pareils, colored sugar, etc... 

1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. 
2. Melt the chocolate in small bowls in the microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth. Dip the rounded side of the fortune cookies and shake off excess. 
3. Place on parchment paper and immediately decorate with sprinkles.
4. Let sit at room temperature until chocolate is set.   

No-Bake Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce

This would be a perfect dessert to make for VALENTINE'S DAY! Our family has been making this No-Bake Cheesecake for years. It's much lighter and fluffier than other cheesecakes and this crust is divine! 

The recipe for the Raspberry Sauce is my creation. We've also used it on french toast, pancakes, crêpes, and angel food cake...

GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST:

     9 full rectangular graham crackers, finely crushed (1 1/2 cups)

     6 Tbs. butter, melted

     1/3 cup sugar

     1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Spray an 8 or 9" pie plate with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. (I use a springform pan.) Mix all ingredients together and press firmly into pie plate. Chill until cheesecake filling is ready.*

* Can bake at 375° F. for 7 minutes for other recipes, but for this recipe, it's best chilled.

           

CHEESECAKE:

     8 oz. light cream cheese, softened

     1/3 cup sugar
     1/3 cup light sour cream

     1/2 tsp. vanilla

     1 (8 oz.) container frozen whipped topping (such as Cool Whip), thawed in refrigerator

With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, sour cream and vanilla together until smooth. Stir in Cool Whip until smooth. Carefully pour into unbaked graham cracker crust and chill at least 4 hours until serving. Top individual slices with chilled raspberry sauce.

RASPBERRY SAUCE:

     2 cups frozen raspberries (can also use fresh)

     2/3 cup sugar

     2 Tbs. cornstarch

     3/4 cup water

     1/2 tsp. vanilla

     1/4 tsp. almond extract

Place frozen raspberries in a saucepan with sugar and cornstarch. Pour water over raspberries and stir with a whisk until cornstarch is dissolved. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and almond extracts. Chill until serving. Can heat to serve with pancakes or french toast. Store leftovers in refrigerator for up to a week.

Chocolate Fondue -or- Hot Fudge Sauce

This versatile recipe is perfect for Valentine's Day or for Christmas (who doesn't love chocolate fondue?) It makes great gifts for friends, neighbors or teachers and is also my very favorite hot fudge sauce for ice cream! 

Recipe from our sister Andrea...

1/2 cup butter

4 (1 oz.) squares unsweetened chocolate (4 oz. total)

3 cups sugar

1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk

1 tsp. vanilla

dash of salt

Melt butter and chocolate in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently. Stir in sugar, evaporated milk and salt and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Let cool slightly, then pour into a blender and blend for 5 minutes. Chocolate will thicken as it cools. Pour into small jars as Hot Fudge Ice Cream Topping, or serve warm with fruit, pretzels, marshmallows and cake cubes as Chocolate Fondue. Stores in refrigerator for about 3 weeks. Do not freeze. Makes about 5 cups.

Sugar Cookies

*From Nancy Miller

1 lb. margarine
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. lemon extract
6 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

*Cream margarine & sugar. Beat in eggs, vanilla, & lemon extract. Mix flour, soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Slowly add into mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Roll out and cut into desired shapes. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-9 minutes, depending on size of cookies.

*See Favorite Frosting recipe for the frosting.