Family Photos: In the Kitchen + Arkansas Sugar Cookies

Arkansas Sugar Cookies, family photos, creative photo shoots

After we made our and ate our yummy gumbo for our fun family photo shoot with Whitney, we made cookies!

These are my kids’ favorite sugar cookies! And we made them in the shape of our favorite state!

Arkansas sugar cookies with Razorback red icing! Yum!

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I can remember when the kids were really little, I would let them sit up on the counter and dump the ingredients in a bowl for cookies.  Then as they got a little older, they got to measure the flour and sugar themselves.  Soon, they also learned how to break the eggs and mix the dough.

Now, for the most part, they can make a batch of cookies start to finish all by themselves. Baking together with my family is one of my most treasured memories from my own childhood, and I still love to be gathered with the women in my family for a big baking day for pies or treats around the holidays.

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I have loved passing this tradition on to my kiddos, and I know that however big they get, they will still be lured back to the kitchen by the smell of something yummy baking in the oven.

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Or by the chance to frost their own sugar cookie.

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This icing is a powdered sugar glaze made with corn syrup that hardens really well so I use it for sugar cookies that have to travel.  The recipe is below, so you can make some treats with your family this weekend!  What was your favorite baked treat from childhood?

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Arkansas Sugar Cookies with Powdered Sugar Glaze

Makes about 16 large cookies
Ingredients:

4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2  cups sugar

2   large eggs

2  teaspoons pure vanilla extractor 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice and zest of 2 lemons

Directions:

In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

Use an electric mixer to cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs.

Add flour mixture, and mix on low speed until thoroughly combined. Stir in vanilla or lemon juice and zest. Wrap dough in plastic; chill for about 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 325°. On a floured surface, roll dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes. Transfer to ungreased baking sheets; refrigerate until firm, 15 minutes. Bake until edges just start to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on wire racks; decorate as desired.

Glaze:

Ingredients:

1 pound powdered sugar

4 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

red food coloring (or whatever color you like)

Mix all ingredients together in the bowl of a stand or hand mixer.  Use immediately, as it begins to harden quickly. Spread with an offset spatula.

Makes enough to ice about 24 large cookies.

Enjoy!

4 Comments

  1. love it! will have to give these a try. and where did you get the cookie cutter??

    1. It’s from Eggshells (on Kavanaugh in Little Rock). I meant to say that! Thanks for asking. 🙂

  2. Made these tonight. Just wish you were here to make them with me.

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