Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Cookies for my grandmother...and a sugar cookie recipe!

I woke up missing my grandmother today.
Not sure why, I just am.

So I decided to repost this.  
It was originally written for frosting for the cause last fall.

If your grandmothers are around, give them a great big squishy hug from me.
Thanks.



Irene Janette Joan Dulcinia Dale Crystal Bridget.

Not many people are quite so fabulous that they need so many names.


My grandmother was one of those people.






She was magical.
Paula Deen with a crystal ball.
Martha Stewart with a wicked sense of humor.
Lucille Ball, without the cigarette, convinced she’d be discovered 
and whisked off to Hollywood at any moment 
(and yes, she had her head shots ready and waiting).





She taught me more things than I can count...
Diamonds go with everything, 
every outfit needs jewelry, 
and pedicures should always be red. 





Most importantly, 
she taught me how to make even the smallest moments special.


Sandwiches are good.
Sandwiches eaten outside while looking at a pretty view - better.


Ice Cream is delicious.  
Ice Cream in a tall, footed, pink soda fountain glass, 
eaten with a long, silver ice tea spoon - that’s dessert.



Cake and cookies are great. 
Cake and cookies on a tall pedestaled cake plate, 
served on antique china - now you’ve got a party.
No occasion was so small that it didn’t deserve a little fanfare.








She had a hard life, like most ladies of her generation.  
Her antique china may have been mismatched, 
but she knew that didn’t take away from its beauty.

While I was in college, we found that my grandmother’s headaches were brain cancer.

A few months after her diagnosis, she came to California 
and got to stand at the gates of Paramount Motion Picture Studios...


She’d finally made it to Hollywood.










We lost who she was before she lost her life.
Brain cancer and its treatments did its damage to her personality.
But...she never lost the twinkle in her eye.
Perfume and jewelry ‘til the end.


I miss her every single day.
....still can’t find her crystal ball.
In honor of my grandmother and her love for all things pretty, 
I’d love to share our family’s sugar cookie recipe with you!  

These are the traditional ‘rolled and cut-out’ cookies that we have made for decades
 and decorated for Christmas.  

This is the recipe that ‘started it all’.  

Now there’s a blog and cookies going out the front door almost everyday!  
My grandmother would have been thrilled with the whole production.
Sugar Cookies
preheat 375 
2 3/4 cups flour 
1 tsp baking powder 
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup room temp butter
1 cup white sugar
2 room temp eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Whisk together dry ingredients in a bowl (or sift if you’d like) and set aside.


Cream together butter and sugar on med speed until well mixed.  


Add eggs and vanilla and beat until fluffy.  


Stir in flour on low until dough comes together.  


Turn out onto a piece of saran wrap and form into a small round disk.  


Wrap tightly and refrigerate.  Let rest and chill for at least an hour, overnight is better.
Roll out on floured cutting board.  




Now you have some options. 
If you’d like crunchier cookies that are yummy without any icing, roll to approx. 1/8 inch thickness and bake 7-8 minutes.


For cookies that will stand up to a layer of royal icing (like the ones coming up in the decorating tutorial) roll to 1/4 inch and bake 8-11 minutes depending on the size of your cookie.  


Take them out before the edges brown. (this is really up to you, I like the edges a little over done and crisp.  It’s just a cookie for gosh sakes...do what you like!)


Cool on wire racks.  


Once cool, cover with a tea towel to hide them from children who will eat them before you get to decorate them!!!!
Rosie Ribbon Cookies
I have some fabulous girlfriends that participated in the 
Susan G. Korman 60 mile walk last November.  

These Rosie Ribbon Cookies were made as party favors for a fund-raiser.



Here’s how I did it!





Start with some square blanks, flooded with white royal icing.








....and A LOT of royal icing ribbon roses (I made these the day before)


For Royal Icing Ribbon Rose Tutorial go see
Sugarbelle and Ali Bee!







I made two different colors of pink for a little variety.



















Here are the icing bags all ready to go!
I used the smallest leaf tip on the green and #1 writing tip on the yellow and  dark pink.  


The light pink was only used to make the ribbon roses...101 petal tip.



















I practiced, a lot. 

 I had exactly the right amount of cookies, not a single extra, 
so I was a bit more careful than usual.  

I spaced out the roses into a ribbon shape, alternating the colors a bit.














I used green icing to glue down the roses,










then filled in the spaces between the roses with tiny leaves.
I certainly could have stopped there.  I couldn’t help myself though...
















So with the dark pink and yellow...
I added little dots to fill in the ribbon shape.







and some little yellow centers to a few of the roses on each cookie.
And that’s it!!












I loved baking for you all!  








Hope you try to make these soon!




Thanks for stopping by!

Lizy B






‘My entry into Fingerprints on the Fridge’s Feature Yourself Friday, sponsored by Appliances Online and Bosch Washing Machines’ (add a link to your party too!)

27 comments:

  1. Hi Lizy!

    I love the cookies but the GM story is even sweeter!

    xoxo Bunny Jean

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  2. I remember reading this original post at FFTC, touched my heart. And to have it for TEa Party Tuesday, well...just awesome. I love your tender heart. Your cookies are so beautiful. Those roses are amazing details! Such patience .....

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  3. These cookies are beautiful! Just like your Grandmother :)

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  4. I love this post. Your Grandmother sounds like pure joy- thanks for sharing your thoughts of her. What a beautiful person.

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  5. These are sooo beautiful...and the words you wrote about your Grandmother were sooo sweet. She sounds like an amazing woman....Love how she found beauty even in the simple things. Sorry to hear about her cancer... I pray every day that scientists can someday find a cure... I have a few people close to me who are battling brain cancer now....they are the strongest people I know. Thanks for sharing your story and your BEAUTIFUL cookies...

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  6. What a beautiful tribute to your grandmother. I am sorry I didn't see your FFTC post, but thrilled I was able to see these. I am using my grandmother's recipe for my cookies too. Thank you for sharing this beautiful cookie with us! ♥

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  7. What a wonderful woman your grammy was.....and you are amazing for being able to sum up all her beautiful qualities so well. I can tell just how fabulous she was by your touching description. Obviously she passed on all her charms and special touches; they are evident in your beautiful works of art.....don't kid yourself for a minute that these are 'just cookies'!

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  8. What a wonderful tribute to your lovely Grandmother - no wonder you miss her so much. The biscuits are just so beautiful.
    http://missbbobochic.blogspot.com/

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  9. What a nice post about your grandmother! You sound like a great granddaughter, i bet you take after her :)

    and these are lovely cookies, i love them so much!!!

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  10. How sweet of you to remember your Grandmother this way. I hope my grandchildren do the same.

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  11. wow, those cookies are amazing!

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  12. Your post was beautiful, and hit so close to home. I too use my grandmother's sugar cookie recipe that we made for Christmas, my whole life. She passed away before I started my cookie business, but I think of her every time I roll that dough! She would've loved it!

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  13. Your post was beautiful, and hit so close to home. I too use my grandmother's sugar cookie recipe that we made for Christmas, my whole life. She passed away before I started my cookie business, but I think of her every time I roll that dough! She would've loved it!

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  14. Your cookies always look to pretty to eat.....Thanks for linking up @CountryMommaCooks…..have a wonderful week:)

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  15. Your cookies are gorgeous! This is such a sweet tribute to your grandmother:)

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  16. The cookies are fabulous and the post about the things your grandmama taught you is priceless. What a lovely tribute to her. I must try to make the cookies they are my favorite colors pink and green! Happy Pinks

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  17. Happy Pink Saturday!
    It is always nice to see what each lovely lady is up to...and the creativity that flows...I pray that you all have a blessed week !
    Please come by my blog anytime...I love having you!
    God Bless......Kandy

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  18. What a sweet tribute. Those cookies are too too pretty to eat! (but I would eat them anyway if I could!!)

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  19. These cookies look AMAZING! You grandmother sounds like a great woman!!! Great tribute!

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  20. Those are the prettiest cookies I have ever seen!

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  21. I'm glad you took that one extra step! They made gorgeous even gorgeous-er! I had a great Nanny too! You made my eyes well up...

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  22. I lost my Grandma and my Granny many years ago. I miss them very much. Thank you for sharing. :)

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  23. Your grandma sounds like she was a wonderful woman! Always decked out and classy. I'm sure she is super proud of these beyond-gorgeous cookies you made. I'm seriously speechless--the level of detail is impeccable!

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  24. This is a beautiful tribute to your grandmother. Thank you for sharing your recipe, tutorial, and the wonderful story.

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Thanks everyone!

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