Don's (Cyberchef's) Sugar Cookies! Yum!

[ShirleyM]

We started making Don's sugar cookies on Wedsnesday, then the cookie batter (it isn't like dough at all) was refrigerated for 12 hrs per instructions, then yesterday we rolled out the dough - this made about 5 cookie sheets of cookies - and we cut out the cookies and baked them for 9 minutes, one sheet at a time. They were delicious!

The dough would get very sticky very quickly and I refrigerated the balance while working the part we were cutting out. Had to use lots of flour to keep things from sticking.

Thanks, Don, they were YUMMY!!
Shirley

[cath]

OK, Shirley, what brand of butter did you use? I see by earlier comments that Don said that the brands do make a difference. I know that the brand of bread flour I use to make bread makes a HUGE difference.
Also, I only keep bread flour in my house (I make lots of bread). I recall my mother telling me that all purpose flour should be used for some projects and bread flour should be used for umm...guess what?

Like I have time to make cookies today....

BTW, Jeremy, I want to try your cookies too. I've heard so much about them.

[Jeremy1973]

Havn't made Don's yet, but I know mine are good. As for flour, I usually stick with pillsbury. I am also interested in what butter you used in his recipie.

[ShirleyM]

Hi Cath,
I used Marsh unsalted butter. Don said not to use salted butter for any recipe unless it specifically called for "lightly salted butter". I forget the reason, but it was something about the chemistry or consistency and eventual effect on texture and flavor...maybe it wasn't that complicated...

In the past, I had never used unsalted butter for anything...but he said use it for baking and sauces, roux, etc and then season your sauces and roux with salt, etc.

Don...where are you??

I'm going to make Jeremy's recipe next time. I'm warning you, Don's recipe can get VERY sticky during the cutting out stage. You have to use VERY cold dough and roll/cut very quickly or you end up with a sticky mess on the floured wax paper (my wood floured cutting board just didn't "cut it"!) As soon as the dough starts to warm up, you're done for and it's really hard to make "drop cookies" with it. I kept the unused portion in the fridge between batches, and baked on one cookie sheet at a time, times 4 or 5 sheets....

Have fun! They ARE DELICIOUS!

Shirley

[ShirleyM]

P.S. I sprinkled sugar on top of the cookies before baking them - I did this on all the batches except the first batch.

[cath]

Thanks for the tips, Shirley! I use a thick plastic board to knead dough, etc., and it seems to work well. Funny thing is, I did have a slab of marble for baking, and it broke in half once when I was kneading dough. hehehe I didn't know I was that heavy handed.

Yeh, I don't know the chemistry part of the salted/sweet butter, but it seems to me that if the salt measurement in the recipe is based on sweet, then using salted butter would make the cookies too salty.

Don't worry, Jeremy...I will make your cookies, and I'll be sure to give you credit. We have staff bake sales at the library, and I would be proud to take yours.

[cyberchef]

Originally posted by ShirleyM
Hi Cath,
I used Marsh unsalted butter. Don said not to use salted butter for any recipe unless it specifically called for "lightly salted butter". I forget the reason, but it was something about the chemistry or consistency and eventual effect on texture and flavor...maybe it wasn't that complicated...

In the past, I had never used unsalted butter for anything...but he said use it for baking and sauces, roux, etc and then season your sauces and roux with salt, etc.

Don...where are you??

Any good brand of unsalted butter should be fine, but the better a butter tastes the better the baked items will taste.

Unless a recipe calls for salted butter, salted butter can cause a dish to overly salty without even adding any extra salt.

Also if the dough is that sticky, you might add just a little extra flour to tighten it up just a little... But then again, if it aint broke don't fix it...

[ShirleyM]

Thanks, Don, it was only sticky when it warmed up. I was afraid all the flour I used to roll it out changed the intended flavor. They reminded me a little of some kind of shortbread kind of cookies.

Thanks again,
Shirley

[Jeremy1973]

Okay...Cath, Shirley, have either of you tried my recipie? did you like them? I think I am trying CyberChef's recipie this weekend. I was smart, and went and bought a Kenmore 5qt, 15speed, 600 watt, mixer. That should be easier then my cordless mixer I am using now that always runs out of energy. heh heh

[ShirleyM]

Not yet, Jeremy, but will soon.
Made Oatmeal Raisin yesterday at Troy's request for going back to IU.

[cath]

OK,....now I'm actually making Don's cookies. Holiday is over and we are having a company bake sale tomorrow. Too bad that I forgot that you have to refrigerate the dough for 12 hours. They may be for sale on Tuesday.

I've got a question, though....
After I mixed it up, the dough was not a thin as cake batter. Not like biscute dough, but not batter, either. I put in just a tad more than 3 cups of flour.
What say ye?

...and Jeremy...Yours will be the next batch I make. I'm really looking forward to your cookies. I'll call them Jeremy's Special, unless you have a better name.

Don...how bout "Cyberchef's Sour Cream Sugar Cookies" I may work on that...not very hip...but I do think Cyberchef should be part of the title.

[ShirleyM]

Well, I followed his recipe exactly and refrigerated for 12 hrs. I do know that w/o the refrigeration I never could have rolled out the dough..

[ShirleyM]

Cath - How did the cookies come out? I'll bet they were YUMMY!!

[cath]

Yes, yes yes they were good!!! Reminded me of the big, soft sugar cookies that I had as a kid in PA. A real hit with the staff at the library.

I was thinking that it might be interesting to put a hint of orange zest in the cookies... what do you think, Shirley?

[ShirleyM]

I think that sounds Yummy! I also sprinkled sugar on top of some of them before baking.