“It’s the right mix of everything,” pastry chef extraordinaire Emily Reitnour of The Frying Dutchman Donut Shop & College Town Bakeries in Kutztown says about her Ultimate Sugar Cookie recipe. “To me, there is magic in these cookies.”
Reitnour’s baked delights beam in the form of mittens, knit hats, jumbo Christmas lights and sometimes even reindeer.
“In something that has so few ingredients,” Reitnour says, “you really want what you do put in it to shine.”
ULTIMATE SUGAR COOKIE
INGREDIENTS
- 2 eggs (100 g)
- 6 cups all-purpose flour (880 g)
- 2 cups Plugrá butter, unsalted (454 g)
- 2 tsp baking powder (12 g)
- 2 cups granulated sugar (415 g)
- 1 whole vanilla bean
- 1 tsp salt
- Fondant, as needed
- Royal icing, sprinkles or disco dust (All available from local craft stores)
NOTE: Emily highly suggests using a kitchen scale for the best results with precise measurements
DIRECTIONS
- 1 Creaming method: join room temperature butter, sugar and scraped vanilla bean in bowl of mixer on low to medium speed with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy, approximately 3 to 4 minutes.
- 2 Add eggs one at a time; scrape bowl down in between each addition.
- 3 Add all sifted dry ingredients; mix on low until dough comes together, about 1 minute.
- 4 Roll to 1/4 inch; place on cookie sheet, and chill 5 to 10 minutes.
- 5 Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until golden around edges; allow to cool completely.
- 6 Decorate using satin ice fondant—*use a small dusting of cornstarch on countertop to roll out fondant very thin.
- 7 Cut out shapes using cookie cutters (or X-Acto knife).
- 8 Adhere fondant to cookies using wet paint brush (1 cup water and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract).
- 9 Decorate with royal icing, sprinkles or disco dust, an edible glitter.
- 10 Keep in an airtight container for 1 to 1 1/2 weeks.
VISIT THE FRYING DUTCHMAN TODAY! 236 West Main St., Kutztown | 484.661.6454 | fryingdutchmandonuts.com
TEXT AND PHOTO BY JENNIFER HETRICK
