Sugar Plum Dreams Cookies

Submitted by deborahlee555

"From Betty Crocker's "Bake Up A Story," posted by request. Prep time does not include chilling time. The recipe I had did not specify number of servings."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 22mins
• Ingredients: 10
• Yields: 40 per rolled out sheet

ingredients

• 3 1⁄2 cups flour
• 1 cup butter
• 1⁄4 cup warm water
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon almond extract (or other flavor)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1⁄4 teaspoons yeast (1 package)
• 3⁄4 cup sour cream
• sugar
• food coloring

directions

1. Cover cookie sheets with foil or parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Cut in the cold butter.
3. Dissolve the yeast in the 1/4 cup warm water. Add the eggs, sour cream and flavoring. Cover and chill for 2 hours, but it can sit longer if necessary. The dough does not need to rise.
4. Make colored sugar by mixing sugar with food coloring.
5. Preheat the oven to 350.
6. Sprinkle some of the colored sugar in whatever color you desire onto wax paper.
7. Divide dough into thirds, and return the remainder to the refrigerator.
8. Roll the dough out to a 10" x 8" rectangle, then fold the ends in to the center. Resugar the surface and roll out again to an 10x8 inch rectangle. Repeat the rolling and folding process 2 more times (a total of 3).
9. Cut rolled out dough into 4" by 1/2" strips, then twist and shape as desired -- candy canes, rosettes, pretzels, rope twists, etc. Place the cookies on the prepared cookie sheets
10. Bake immediately, 10 to 12 minutes. Watch carefully as the sugar has a tendency to burn the cookies. When done, remove from the sheets at once.

Reviews

[Chocolatl]

I was searching for this recipe for years! They are great! The sour cream and yeast make a cookie with a very unusual texture and taste, crisp, flaky and chewy all at once. My DH and I both love them.

 

[Sandra P.]

My family has made these for 3 generations. As a helpful hint, we dry out the colored sugar ahead of time. Starting the day before, we make 3 colors, red, green, and yellow. We sometimes make blue, but not everyone likes blue cookies. Make the colored sugar and stir it several times throughout the day, so it is dry. It makes it easier to use since the dough can get warm and sticky very quickly. You need to work quickly with the dough, but once you get used to it, it is not bad. We make red and green candy canes, green wreaths, red hearts (that takes a toothpick while cooking), yellow 'wooly worms' (with a toothpick to hold shape), and all colored braids (pinch the top and bottom to keep closed.

 

[Carrie T.]

These are wonderful! My family has been baking them since the 1960's. They aren't too sweet and are very light. It is an unusual recipe but people usually love them and they are worth the effort. I was shocked to find them online!