By A quiet week of bread and family. The subscription deliveries went out on Saturday. The farmers' market sold out by 10 AM. The Anapra bakery reported its best week of the month. The numbers are steady. The steady is the success. The success is the bread.
When a week like this one closes — the deliveries out the door, the market table emptied by ten, the Anapra numbers quietly climbing — I don’t reach for anything complicated. The bread has already done its work. What I want in my kitchen on a Saturday evening is something steady in a different way: a rolled dough, a cutter pressed down clean, a shape that holds. These snowflake sugar cookies have become my ritual for weeks that earn a gentle finish. They’re not the bread, but they carry the same hands that made it.
Snowflake Sugar Cookies
Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Total Time: 1 hr 35 min (includes chilling) | Servings: 36 cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- For the glaze: 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 3–4 tablespoons whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- White and silver sanding sugar, for finishing
Instructions
- Whisk the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together with a hand or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add wet ingredients. Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, almond extract (if using), and milk until fully combined and smooth.
- Combine. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing just until a soft dough comes together. Do not overmix.
- Chill the dough. Divide the dough in half, flatten each portion into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
- Preheat and prepare. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll and cut. On a lightly floured surface, roll one disk of dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out shapes using snowflake cookie cutters and transfer carefully to the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart.
- Bake. Bake for 8–10 minutes, until the edges are just barely golden and the centers look set. Do not overbake — the cookies will firm as they cool. Let rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth and thick enough to coat a spoon. Add milk one teaspoon at a time to reach desired consistency.
- Decorate. Spoon or spread glaze over each cooled snowflake cookie. While still wet, dust with sanding sugar. Let set at room temperature for 30 minutes before stacking or storing.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 118 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Carbs: 17g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 45mg