Looking for a not-so-sweet rolled cookie? Try this sour cream sugar cookie! Kids love to help make them and to eat them. Made with local flour, local eggs, fair trade sugar, and other ingredients from Organic Valley Cooperative and Frontier Co-op, you can feel good about indulging in this Valentine’s treat.
Ingredients: Local eggs, local flour. Bulk baking powder, fair trade sugar, sea salt. Cooperative butter, sour cream, vanilla. Organic shortening, lemon or vanilla extract.
The Palouse is one of the most productive dryland farming regions in the world. We are fortunate to be able to find sustainably grown local wheat flours in bulk at the Moscow Food Co-op and bagged at other grocery stores in the region. When making this recipe, try using locally grown wheat flours from Joseph’s Grainery, Harvest Ridge Organics or Shepherd’s Grain (this recipe also works well with gluten free flours).
Recipe makes about 3 dozen cookies.
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 teaspoon lemon or vanilla extract
1 local egg
2 2/3 cups local flour (don’t be afraid to try whole wheat!)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup sour cream or whole milk plain yogurt
Preheat oven to 375F. Mix sugar, butter, shortening, lemon extract and egg in a large bowl. Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sour cream.
While I use my electric mixer and sift all of the dry ingredients, this recipe works just as well with hand mixing (I know – from making them in my college days when I had neither a mixer or sifter!). Just make sure there are no lumps in your salt or baking powder before adding.
Roll one-third of the dough to 1/4″ thick on a well-floured, cloth covered surface.
If you don’t have a pastry cloth (I found this one at Tri-State Outfitters in Moscow), roll out dough on a well-floured, clean counter top or cutting board.
Cut to desired shapes with cookie cutters.
Looking for cookie cutters? Check out your local thrift stores! You can find an assortment of cookie cutters for all occasions.
Place about two inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 7-8 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched. Do not brown – otherwise the cookies will be over cooked.
Remove from cookie sheet to a wire rack (another easy thrift store find!). Cool completely (except for those few you just have to eat hot!).
If you like frosted cookies, try this recipe – it is surprisingly good with a lemon-flavored sugar cookie:
Peppermint Frosting
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/3 cup butter
2-3 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons pure peppermint extract (you may want to add 1/2 teaspoon at a time and taste test for desired flavor)
Mix all ingredients until smooth. If needed, add drops of milk until the frosting is a spreadable consistency.
Other flavor options: replace peppermint extract with vanilla, almond, or lemon extract
For multiple colors, divide frosting between multiple bowls. Add drops of food coloring one by one while stirring until desired color is achieved.
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