A few weeks late, but I really liked how they turned out.

For the holidays, I decided to make some cookies and wrap them up nicely for my friends as just a little gift. I tried a few different recipes, including trying to make macarons three separate times, all three times resulting in complete failure :(.

COOKIE! omnomnomnomn

I ended up sticking with the sugar cookies recipe that I wrote about last post, but added a little alcoholic twist to it. The remaining bottle of Baileys I had sitting around in my room seemed perfect for the occasion. I replaced the sugar in the recipe with the Bailey’s which adds some extra liquid to the recipe softening up the cookies (since the original recipe cookies were a little hard). Also, about halfway through the baking, I lightly brushed the cookies with Baileys to give them the extra shine and flavour.

Fresh out of the oven, ready to be glazed.

Baileys Sugar Cookies (Preparation)

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup Bailey’s (plus some extra for glazing)
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Waiting for the cookies to dry after icing.

After the cookies had dried, I placed them in some clear cellophane bags and wrapped it up with some nice fuzzy ribbon. The cookies themselves don’t taste recognizably like Baileys, but add a delicious hint of chocolate to the cookies.

All wrapped up.

Happy New Years!

Christmas is quickly coming up and that means finding presents for everyone! Since I’ve met so many new wonderful friends over the course of this year, I figured I should make a little something for everyone. Since I’ve picked up baking lately, I figured the most appropriate festive gift would be some cookies nicely wrapped up. And who doesn’t like cookies? So over the next week or so, I’ll be looking for a good recipe to use!

I’ve never actually made cookies from scratch before. The last time I remember making cookies is back in elementary school with my mom using instant Pillsbury dough, which I’m sure everyone has done.

First up are some sugar cookies. I used this recipe since it was the only type of cookie that I had all the ingredients for in my house. Also with a lack of a cookie cutter, I just decided to cut them into little bite sized squares. I’ll  have to buy some nice cookie cutters too, before I can make the final products.

Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

I followed the recipe, replacing the butter + salt with salted butter (since it’s the only kind I had at home). Icing the top with a traditional royal icing (salmonella, oh noes!). The cookies themselves came out pretty well, I thought they tasted pretty good, especially since they weren’t too sweet and the salted butter didn’t cause the cookies to taste salty. These cookies also provide a really good blank canvas to get creative with icing and decorating.

Why does all the red icing I make turn pink/salmon coloured?
Perhaps it’s time to invest in some better food colouring!