A holiday classic in our house, brandied sugar cookies take the cake - er, cookie. I remember my mother used to make these for every school function, holiday and special occasions. I think these even made an appearance for at least one Harry Potter book release party we hosted over the years!
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
Pinch salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 tbsp brandy (I use Laird’s or Calvados applejack brandy)
Pure vanilla extract & almond extract
Instructions:
In a mixer, cream together butter, sugar, almond and vanilla extracts for 1-3 minutes.
Add one beaten egg, and mix.
Gradually, add the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated.
Lastly, add brandy and mix. It should stick together rather well once thoroughly combined.
Divide dough into two balls. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate dough 2+ hours or ideally, overnight.
When ready to bake, take dough out of the refrigerator and let sit for 10 minutes for easier rolling. Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Using a rolling pin or wine bottle, roll dough to 1/4" thick and press dough with your favorite cookie cutters.
Place on parchment paper about 1" apart. They should not spread much at all when cooking, so you don't have to worry about spacing too much.
Bake for 6-8 minutes (yep, only 6-8 minutes). They will still appear very light in color, and should not be golden brown. Remove immediately if edges are starting to set to golden.
Transfer to a rack or plate, and let cool completely before glazing.
Lorene's Brandy Almond Glaze:
1- 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
4-5 tbsp milk
almond extract
2 tbsp brandy
pinch salt
Consistency should not be too thin (soupy) or too thick (paste). Add milk incrementally by the tablespoon until you reach desired consistency. It should spread onto the cookie effortlessly, and imperfections will smooth as it sets. Let ‘set’ uncovered for several hours or overnight, waiting until the glaze has completely dried before adding additional layers of piping or decoration.