Lime-Glazed Sugar Cookies and Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays! After a lovely most-of-December, polar vortex-like temps are upon us.  Paul is working and the store is open right up until Christmas, but the rest of us are staying in until temps climb to more respectable levels. Fortunately, we have a lot of crafts and projects to keep us busy. Last year we made cookies and brought them out to all of the people working in Cedarburg on the 24th. The kids made me promise that we would do it again this year. So, we are working on cookies and dipped pretzels for our cookie bags.

Baking with the kids these days is so much less messy than it used to be. Which really brings home the fact that they are growing up. I was watching them glaze cookies yesterday and couldn’t believe how well they did it and how little mess was made.  Honestly, it was bittersweet, no pun intended. These days I enjoy doing more activities with them without it turning quickly into inattention, followed by major cleanup, executed by me. But their competence and independence also signals the end of an era.

I usually have little patience for the overly sentimental, but I guess I’m not immune. The growth of ones children puts the passage of time into sharp relief like nothing else. There is also a whole new world of fun, interesting conversations, complex personalities and a web of inter-family relationships developing. A lot to love and celebrate. 

Finding a cookie that we can all get behind is definitely something to celebrate. Sugar cookies with lime glaze. These little guys are sweet and tart and Christmasy with a little sophistication. But most importantly, we all love them! They are also simple. So simple! I like to make all of my cookie dough in the food processor. I find that it’s so much easier to dump everything in and let the processor mix it for you. It also eliminates the need to soften butter and therefore, to plan ahead.

I don’t refrigerate the dough before rolling out. I hate trying to roll out rock hard dough. With these, I find that if the butter is not too soft, the dough stays cool enough to roll out and cut out right after processing. No waiting! No listening to little people complain about having to wait!  I take the cut out cookies, put them on a cookie sheet and freeze for 10 minutes before slipping into the oven. It could not be easier. Once we roll and re-roll the dough a few times, I shape the remaining dough into a log and keep it in the freezer. They make great cut-and-bake cookies. 

Sugar Cookies with Lime Glaze 

For the Sugar Cookies 

1 cup sugar

2 ½ cups flour

¼ tsp baking powder 

½ tsp salt

1 ½ sticks butter

1 egg 

2 tsp vanilla extract

For the Lime Glaze 

Juice and zest of 1-2 limes (Depending on size)

1-2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F

Place sugar in food processor and process a few seconds

Add flour, salt, baking powder and process about 15 seconds

Add butter, egg and vanilla and process until sandy in texture

Roll out onto a floured surface or piece of parchment and knead until the dough forms a ball

Roll out into a sheet and cut out into desired shapes

Place on baking sheet and freeze for 10 minutes 

Bake for 15 minutes until the top and edges just begin to turn light brown. 

Remove from oven and cool completely on rack.

Glaze cooled cookies and allow glaze to set before eating. 

We’ve had many a tantrum over which cookies to make and who gets to decide. So, finding that everyone loves these is a gift.  I think we should make them our Barry-family Christmas Cookie. We have so much more than cookies to be grateful for this year. We are especially grateful for Cedarburg and Greater Milwaukee, and Long Grove and Greater Chicago for supporting our family business. We are so incredibly grateful for our health, our family and all of our friends who are like family.  Wishing you all a wonderful Holiday Season and a Happy New Year! xoxo