If Shara Hall of Mountlake Terrace hasn’t hit the jackpot yet, she still has plenty of chances left, because recipes for sour cream sugar cookies continue to sift in.
This one’s a tried-and-true confection sent along by Peggy Abbott of Everett, who writes, “Here’s a copy of a recipe that my friend Judy Smith gave me back in the early 1990s, when my son was young. I had complained to her about not being able to make sugar cookies that I could roll out. They always stuck to the rolling pin or the floured surface, so the shapes would be distorted (even a 3-year-old could tell).
“Anyway, this recipe did the trick, and even I can make great sugar cookies in recognizable shapes! My friend typed up the recipe for me, but said that it was from a McCall’s magazine. The recipe is very similar to the one you printed from Nancy Shamrock. It makes a larger quantity of cookies and also has nutmeg.
“I usually break it up into three or four dough balls, and then you can leave them in the refrigerator and only do as many as you need or as many as time permits during the hectic holidays.
“My son is 18 now, and we still bake cookies together during the holidays! I take a day off work each year, and we bake all kinds of cookies. It’s been a fun Christmas tradition in our family. He still likes to frost and put sugar crystals on the cookies just like he did when he was in preschool!”
McCall’s old-fashioned sugar cookies
4cups flour
1teaspoon baking powder
1/2teaspoon baking soda
1/2teaspoon salt
1/2teaspoon nutmeg
1cup butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2cups sugar
1egg
1/2cup sour cream
1teaspoon vanilla
Decorations as desired (suggestions follow)
Sift flour with baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg; set aside. In large bowl of electric mixer, at medium speed, beat butter or margarine, sugar and egg until light and fluffy. At low speed, beat in sour cream and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until well combined. With rubber scraper, form dough into a ball. Wrap in waxed paper or foil; refrigerate several hours or overnight.
Divide dough into 4 parts; refrigerate until ready to roll out. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheets, if necessary. On well-floured surface, roll dough, one part at a time, 1/4 -inch thick. With floured, 21/2-inch round or shaped cookie cutters, cut out cookies. Using spatula, place 2-inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Sprinkle tops with sugar. Place a raisin or almond in center, if desired. Or leave plain and frost or decorate when baked and cooled. Reroll trimmings and cut. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden. Remove to wire rack to cool.
Makes about 6 dozen.
Bits and pieces: Everett cook Wilma J. Kloss shares a great idea or, as she calls it, a “helpful hint” for cooking with potatoes. “As I cook for one or two people only,” she tells us, “I have found out using frozen hashbrown potatoes – in just about any dish that calls for potatoes in any amount I want – saves both time and money.
“If I want only potatoes for under eggs, I boil them for two minutes, drain and use. I use plain ones for potato salad, cook and drain. For stew, soup and chowders, I put them in last, still frozen, so they don’t overcook. For meat loaf, salmon loaf, and patties of all kinds, I mix them together first, then cook as directed.”
Winding up, Wilma adds, “Possibilities are endless – potato pancakes, muffins, egg dishes, and you can add a handful to just about any condensed soup. I only use the amount I need. Saves time and money for a one- or two-person serving. It works for me!”
The next Forum will appear in Wednesday’s Food section.
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