MAKE IT CUTE

 

In need of a heartfelt and simple gift for Mom this Mother's Day? Look no further than your kitchen. Nothing quite beats a homemade treat baked with love and lots of tasty ingredients. This sugar cookie recipe with a sweet twist will satisfy your mother's sweet tooth and may even put you on the fast track to winning daughter of the year.

What you'll need:

- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 cup all purpose flour
- Gel food coloring
- Heart shaped cookie cutter  

Directions:

1. In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in egg and vanilla, followed by salt and baking powder. Scrape the bowl as needed. Gradually mix in flour, increasing speed as needed until dough is fully combined and no streaks remain.

2. Divide dough in half, transferring half to a clean bowl, set aside. Add a small amount of dark pink gel food color to the remaining dough. Beat until fully tinted and no streaks remain.

3. Pinch off golfball sized portions of dough, rolling into balls. Create a pattern of alternate colored balls of dough on your work station. Gently, knead all dough together until swirls of color are visible. Do not over mix. 

4. Shape into a disc and wrap in plastic. Chill for 30-60 minutes. 

5. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. 

6. Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick, on a lightly floured surface. Cut out desired shapes. Space 2-inches apart prepared baking sheet. Freeze cookies for 15 minutes. Press together remaining dough and scraps, rewrapping in plastic and keeping chilled until ready to roll and cut again. 

7. Bake at 350°F for 12 minutes. Allow cookies to rest on the pan for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

We want to know how you take your cookie recpies to the next level. Comment with your baking tips and tricks!

Recipe credit: Baked By Rachel.

by Karlyn Sykes | 5/9/2017