Rustic Bakery, Kimberly Todd
The folks at Rustic Bakery always seem to strike the right note—taking something classic and improving on it in their own unique way. It started when Rustic Bakery heeded to a call for crackers to accompany the cheeses of Cowgirl Creamery and created a long sourdough flatbread cracker for which they have become renowned. During the holidays, their creativity goes up a notch—which is a pleasing state of affairs for these distinctive sugar cookies. Rustic Bakery’s Kimberly Todd, a Culinary Institute of America–trained pastry chef, shares her classic holiday sugar cookie recipe which is reminiscent of the ones offered each year in the cafés. The cookies are crisp and buttery and perfect for adding festive holiday toppings. Cut and decorate them any way you wish.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks ) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or paste
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Festive sprinkles for decorating
- Royal Icing (page 63)
Preparation
In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar and use a hand mixer or stand mixer (paddle attachment) and mix until creamed together. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and beat until combined.
In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Working in batches, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating just until combined after every addition; do not overmix or cookies will be tough. If dough is dry, add a little splash of water and mix to incorporate. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, shape into a disk and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Place the chilled cookie dough on a lightly floured work surface. Using a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough until about ó inch thick. Using cookie cutters, cut out desired shapes and transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
Bake until the cookie edges are firmly set and tops of cookies are a light blond color, 10–12 minutes. (Do not overbake or cookies will be hard.) Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely before decorating.
Make the icing as directed. If adding color, divide into separate bowls, adding color to each bowl until desired hue is reached.
Spoon the icing into a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip or a plastic bag with a corner snipped; seal closed. Holding the bag upright, pipe the icing around the perimeter of the cookie, then pipe icing in the centers, tapping the bottom of the cookies against a work surface to spread the icing to the edges. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Set aside until the icing is set; royal icing will dry to a smooth, shiny finish. Makes 24 cookies.
