So I planned to make these delicious cookies for a party with some friends; our family Friday night, as I
like to call it. It was themed "Settlers of Catan Tournament" so I wanted to turn the cookies into Catan Cookies!
This is what they were supposed to look like
Beautiful, right? ...I never made it this far. I had no food coloring or a cookie cutter (or the patience to mold each one into a hexagon), so I changed the cookie. Make it my own.
Lofthouse Cookies
makes 2 dozen delicious treats
STEP ONE
Gather ingredients:
3 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
First, combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl (or a 4 cup measuring cup for convenience, like me!)
MISTAKES... they happen
Continuing the learning process of Liz in the kitchen, I just realized (3 days later, mind you) that I had used baking soda instead of baking powder. It was an easy mistake considering baking soda is the usual leavening agent you use in cookies, but these cookies were a cakey texture and needed baking powder.
The two are similar in that they cause the baked good to rise, but they produce different tastes and textures.
Baking Soda is a pure sodium bicarbonate and reacts immediately to acidic ingredients (yogurt, buttermilk, honey), causing a release of carbon dioxide which causes baked goods to rise in the oven.
Baking Powder contains sodium bicarbonate along with an acidifying agent (cream of tartar) and a drying agent (starch). It does not need an additional acidifying agent, so it is usually in baked goods (cake and biscuits) along with a neutral ingredients such as milk.
In terms of taste, baking soda will yield a slightly bitter taste unless it has an acidifying agent, whereas baking powder has a neutral taste and doesn't require anything extra. This is where my mistake rose up to say "HELLO." The cookies tasted great, the texture was on, but it had a strange after taste that I couldn't quite place which ultimately resulted in the disposal of any leftovers I had. But the taste wasn't enough for anyone at the party to notice! Thank goodness...
STEP TWO
Cream together the butter and sugar with a hand mixer.
Now if you have a cheap mixer from Walmart, like me, then the first speed will be like a small hurricane in your bowl. Beware sugar-butter, hurricane Beater will destroy you!
STEP THREE
And add the eggs one at a time (at this point I just stopped using the hurricane warning and stuck with a spoon).
Stir in Sour Cream and Vanilla until combined.
STEP FOUR
Add the flour mixture.
It should start to look like this. Sorry you're just now seeing pictures.. I'm still getting the hang of taking photos of every step in baking.
STEP FIVE
Put the dough in the fridge for an hour and prepare to make incredible frosting!
STEP SIX
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
One pack Cream Cheese
1/4 cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream together Cream Cheese and Butter, add the 4 cups of powdered sugar. Then add cinnamon and vanilla.
It should be a thicker frosting, you want it to set nicely.
STEP SEVEN
Preheat Oven to 350ยบ
Roll out those cookies and flatten them to about 1/3 of an inch thick. They won't spread too terribly much, but give them a bit more space than I did here and they are sure not to expand into a cookie amoeba.
Bake for 10-12 minutes.
They look about the same color as when I put them in the oven, this is normal. The texture will feel firm and with the potential of crumbles.
Be sure to let them cool before you frost them, otherwise it will melt off into a sad puddle.
And there you have it!! Deliciously homemade Lofthouse cookies that were a big hit at the party!
Note: Don't be dumb and stack the cookies. Try and find a large platter so that they don't stick together and look nice throughout the night.
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