Rolled and cut-out sugar cookies are fun for kids to make. These need no decoration—the vanilla and chocolate provides an interesting contrast. Simply cut small heart shapes out of vanilla and chocolate doughs and swap them; they'll bake together in the oven, making one solid multi-coloured (and flavoured) cookie. Sugar cookies make a great Valentine's Day lunchbox or after-school treat.
Ingredients for sugar cookies
1/3 cup (85 mL) butter, softened
2 tbsp (30 mL) canola or mild olive oil
3/4 cup (185 mL) sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla
1 3/4 cups (435 mL) all-purpose flour
1 tsp. (5 mL) baking powder
1/4 tsp. (1 mL) salt
3 Tbsp. (45 mL) cocoa
Directions
1. In a large bowl, beat the butter, oil and sugar with an electric mixer until well combined. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for 1 min, until smooth and light.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the sugar mixture and stir by hand just until you have a soft dough. Divide the dough in half and add the cocoa one half of the dough; knead by hand until it’s incorporated. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and let sit or refrigerate for half an hour. (You can chill for up to a couple days.)
3. When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out until it’s about 1/4-inch thick. Cut out cookies using a 2–3-in. cookie cutter. Re-roll the scraps once to get as many cookies as possible. Using a small, heart-shaped cutter, cut windows in the cookies. Swap the hearts cut out of the chocolate sugar cookies with the plain ones, and vice versa.
4. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 10–12 min, until sugar cookies are pale golden around the edges. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Makes about 2 dozen cookies.
Per sugar cookie:
95 calories, 3.9 g fat (1.8 g saturated, 1.5 g monounsaturated, 0.5 g polyunsaturated), 14 mg cholesterol, 13.6 g carbohydrate, 1.3 g protein, 0.5 g fibre
Originally published in ParentsCanada magazine, February/March 2012.
