Cookie Monster Cookies

I mentioned that my baby turned 1 a few weeks ago. Lots of family joined us to celebrate all the joy he has brought to us this past year. But really they just came for cake. That's why we go to birthday parties, right? And let's face it: there is a whole lot of sitting around staring at a {cute} baby going on at a first birthday party. All that pressure to make the cake stellar forced me to cave in and buy a cake from our local grocery store.

I consoled myself by making cute cookies.

You see I've been making this basic sugar cookie recipe for 10 years. The paper it is written on is well worn and has lots of updates added to it. I like it just the way it is now. And buttercream? Well, I think I could make that in my sleep.

Is there anything more enticing than a cookie that is eating another cookie? I love 2-for-1 cookies! The Wilton grass tip #233 made the hair on this fun and easy to squeeze out. It has 11 tiny holes that the frosting pushes through at once (think back to your Play Doh days).

I used a basic flower cookie cutter. You could easily substitute a circle cutter. Pipe the blue hair buttercream. Add white chocolate and M&M eyes. Eat all of the other M&M colors. Insert a broken chocolate chip cookie. Multiply and you're done! (I am by no means the first person to come up with this idea. If you google it you will see many other people's take on this design.)

Basic Sugar Cookie

Printable Version Here

**Please note: I seem to buy huge cookie cutters so I’ve adjusted this recipe to make a large batch of dough (15-20 LARGE cookies). It can easily be halved.

**Also you DO NOT CHILL this dough before cutting

Ingredients:

·        2 cups of butter

·        2 cups of sugar

·        2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

·        1 teaspoon of almond extract

·        2 eggs

·        4 teaspoons baking powder

·        6 cups flour

Directions:

1.   Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.   In the bowl of your mixer cream butter and sugar until smooth.

3.   Beat in extracts and eggs.

4.   In a separate bowl combine baking powder with flour and add a little at a time to the wet ingredients. The dough will be very stiff. If it becomes too stiff for your mixer turn out the dough onto a counter top surface. Wet your hands and finish off the dough by hand.

5.   DO NOT CHILL THE DOUGH. Divide into workable batches, roll out onto a floured surface and cut. You want these cookies to be on the thicker side (the idea is to hold a lot of icing, right?!).

6.   Bake for 6-8 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheet until firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack.

  UPDATE: Many of you have asked for my buttercream recipe. I use a pretty standard one; you can find the printable version here. Also to get this color of blue I used Americolor gel paste in Electric Blue.

The party was of course a Sesame Street theme. And while Birthday Boy gorged himself on cake Four Year Old Foodie took more interest in the cookies. I think each was pleased with his choice!

In Katrina's Kitchen has been officially listed as one of Babble.com's Readers' Choice Top 100 Mom Food Bloggers! I would be honored if you headed over there and gave me a "thumbs up!" There is no registration required and you can check out a bunch of other great mom food blogs too. Thank you so much! ♥- Katrina







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