The Finished Cow Cookie Project

Even though I'm quite through with cows and sugar cookies for a while, this undertaking was the most fun I've had in ages! I'm glad Ladies' Jubilee only comes once a year!

After searching for recipes and trying many different variations of dough and decorations, I settled on my grandmother's Christmas cookie recipe. Isn't it amazing how, with all of the new and exciting things out there, sometimes the old ways are the best?

This is a super-easy recipe and takes about an hour from start to finish. Use a good amount of flour for kneading and rolling - it's a very sticky dough otherwise.

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup shortening
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray 2 cookie sheets with nonstick spray.

2. Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl. If you have a stand mixer...use it! The dough will be very heavy and very sticky.

3. Add in the shortening with a fork or the paddle blade of your mixer. Add in the eggs and vanilla, mixing well.

4. Roll dough to about 1/4 inch thick on a well-floured work surface. Cut into desired shapes with a floured cookie cutter.

5. Bake on greased cookie sheets for 9 minutes. Watch carefully toward the end of the time so the edges don't get overly browned. Remove and cool completely before decorating.


If you'd like to make sugar spots like the purple ones on my cows, just sprinkle on the sugar right before they go into the oven. The dough is pretty thick, so you may need to gently press the sugar in with your finger to keep it from rolling off.

The eyes are just a chocolate sprinkle pressed into place before baking. They aren't in the oven long enough for it to melt and get gooey, so you can experiment with different colors and shapes.

These are also fantastic cookies to bathe in powdered sugar frosting. I did a few this way last Monday with my leftovers. It's a great combination if you're not making 400 cookies at a time. I was immediately whisked back to my childhood, helping my grandmother make Christmas cookies. What a lovely way to end Jubilee for this year!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Recovering An Old Card Table And Making It Usable Again

Image
This card table recover project has been on my to-do list for months. I've been using it as my workspace in the craft room for quite some time, and it sees a lot of abuse. Here it is now, with a neutral cover on it so I can take better pictures for my tutorials. There were dents and dings in the old blue covering from metal tools. And yes, I've used my embossing heat tool on it several times, leaving pretty good scars. The padding underneath the blue cover also made it difficult to keep paper crafts flat when adhering them together, so it was time for something new. That's where a simple vinyl tablecloth comes in handy. The process to recover the table is pretty simple, but I learned a couple of lessons the hard way. I share them with you now. First, don't do this on any surface but a carpet. I tried it on the deck int he sunshine to get better pictures, but all it did was tear up the cover. Second, get a second pair of hands to help you kee
Read more

Simple DIY Beaded Keychains

Image
We're having so much fun putting together goodie bags and door prizes for our upcoming ladies retreat at the church. So many of our ladies have donated craft supplies, decorations, time and energy to treat our visitors to an amazing time. These keychains are just one of the gifts some of the attendees will find in their bags. All you need to make them are a variety of beads, some fairly thin yet sturdy cord and a jump ring. Cut a length of cord, fold it in half and string it through the jump ring. String matching beads on both sides. And tie it off with a double knot. So simple, yet so pretty. Here's another variation: Cut a length of cord, fold it in half and thread it through a jump ring. Tie one or two beads on one side and tie it off with a knot. Make the other side longer with additional letters and beads before tying it off. Make a variety of lengths, colors, patterns and phrases so no two are alike.
Read more

Debilitating Disappontment

The things of this life tend to disappoint us. People aren't who we'd like them to be, events we'd hoped for never occur and things we'd expected to happen in a certain way never come to pass. I've tried relying on everything else in this life - relationships, career, better finances. When we look to mankind for answers or for hope, we will surely be disappointed. Our own misconceptions of life's circumstances leads us down a long, dreary path. What we plan and see inside our head doesn't always match what others see, or what may actually be reality. Looking into ourselves for "clarity" directs us straight to depression and failure. Have you ever heard yourself say, "I couldn't care less" and truly meant it? Having confidence in our own power to change our outlook means that we care more about the circumstances themselves rather than how to grow as Christian women. God is the only unchanging factor in our uncertain world. Focusing on
Read more