Amish Sugar Cookies
These simple, buttery Soft Amish Sugar Cookies are exquisite. They have crisp edges and a soft, chewy center. They’re easy to make and so satisfying to eat. If you’re not careful, you’ll eat three or four before you know it. They are delicious enough to be eaten plain, but you can’t go wrong if you dress them up with sprinkles or dip them in chocolate. They even travel well and make a welcome addition to my holiday packages. Butter and sugar never came together in a more satisfying bite.
“Advice is like cooking. You should try it before you feed it to others.” Amish Proverb
The dough for these cookies is quite soft, so getting sprinkles on them is a delicate business. I use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to portion them out and drop each ball into a dish of sprinkles. Then I very gently press the dough into the sprinkles and carefully remove it and place it onto a cookie sheet. I’ve found that even though the cookie balls aren’t exactly round after I’ve done this, they even out into perfect circles during the bake. I love it when my oven does the heavy lifting.
Cookie specifics
Soft Amish Sugar Cookies. These delightful cookies simply melt in your mouth. They’re buttery and just sweet enough. Surprisingly, they’re also easy and quick to make...and eat! I often leave them plain, but adding sprinkles or nuts for a quick decorative element is no trouble at all.
I prefer a medium-size cookie, so I use my medium cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons) and am able to get about 5 dozen cookies from thiis recipe. If you prefer, these can easily be made twice that size. Portioning out the soft dough using a cookie scoop makes the job go quite quickly.
Cookie Recipe from This Talented Cookie Artist
Soft Amish Sugar Cookies. Original recipe from Cookies & Cups.
Cookies
Soft Amish Sugar Cookies: butter, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, confectioners’ sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, flour
Decorative Embellishments
Sprinkles: All shapes, sizes, colors...from stars to hearts to balls. I like jimmies because they’re easy to chew, but you could also use nonpareils, or mini chocolate chips, etc. On occasion, I’ve decorated the cookies with big-crystal sugars in various colors.
Semisweet or White Chocolate (for dipping): sugar, cocoa butter, nonfat milk, vanilla
Plate, Box or Bag?
Plate. Depending on the occasion, when I’m transporting my cookies locally, I occasionally arrange them on a sturdy plate and wrap the whole thing in clear plastic wrap. This is a safe way to get them from my house to the event I’m attending. Mostly, though, I prefer to box them or wrap them....
Box. My favorite way to transport my cookies is to package them in a cardboard bakery box with a clear window on top that makes the contents visible to anyone who wants to peek. Depending on the size of the cookies (2½-to-3 inches is my favorite size to make), the boxes I use can hold about 12 to 18 cookies.
I like these 6x6x3" bakery boxes from amazon.com.
Bags. If I plan to give the individual cookies as gifts or party favors, I wrap each one in a clear, food-safe bags, secured with a twist tie. This also makes the cookies stackable without causing breakage. Guests can eat the cookie at the event or take it home to share with family and friends.
I like these 4x6" treat bags from amazon.com.
Mailing. I frequently mail cookies to my family and friends throughout the U.S. (and sometimes overseas). I always send them Priority Mail through the U.S. Post Office. I use the boxes provided by the Post Office and lots of bubble wrap. In almost all cases, the cookies arrive undamaged. I really like to include a few of these soft Amish Sugar Cookies in each box alongside the more fancy deorated cookies. There’s something so inviting about them!
What I’ve learned...
These cookies are so simple and have so few ingredients that each one has to be the best ingredients you can find. For me, that means using European butter and homemade pure vanilla extract. I’ve experimented with less expensive ingredients, but have come to the conclusion that flavor is best when I use the best. Why spend all this time baking and decorating if taste and texture are just so-so? Baking cookies takes time, but it’s an enjoyable process for me and I know that those who receive them appreciate that. Life is just better when you can share something you love with someone you love. Don’t you agree?
Add new comment