Bakery Style Sugar Cookies (a no chill sugar cookie dough!)

It's such a delight to sink your teeth into one of these soft, fluffy, tender sugar cookies.  Kids and adults alike love these cute, bakery style sugar cookies.  One of my favorite things about these cookies is that you don't have to wait an hour for the dough to chill, because who can do that, I want cookies now! =)  I made these yesterday for my daughters birthday party so the kids could decorate them.  I doubled the batch so each person could decorate 5 cookies, then I purchased a lot of random candies to go on top (rainbow colored nerds, gummi bears, skittles, candy hearts, cinnamon hearts, lots of different sprinkles) then I bought a few sets of icing tubes, of course one with glitter =), and then I made several colors of frosting.  The kids LOVED it!  They sat there for probably an hour decorating their cookies, so if you are looking for a fun activity for kids at a party then I'd recommend this simply activity.  
I love these sugar cookies because they are soft but they don't taste like sour cream like some of the soft sugar cookies do.  And they are so simple, no rolling out dough or anything.  I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!
You may also like to try my recipe for Sugar Cookie Squares (another super simple recipe) or Sugar Cookie Rice Kripsie Treats, they're a fun new twist on Rice Krispie Treats.

Bakery Style Sugar Cookies

Yields about 2 dozen

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 egg white

2 Tbsp sour cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 recipe vanilla frosting, recipe follows

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy about 3-4 minutes. Stir in egg and egg white.  Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until blended.  Slowly add dry mixture and stir until well combine.  Form dough into balls (I measured out 1 heaping tablespoon for each).  Place dough balls on greased cookie sheet then even flatten dough balls with your hand, to about 1/4" inch. Bake 9-10  minutes (9 1/2 was perfect for me).  Cool completely, then frost.

Vanilla Frosting

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

2 Tbsp cream or half and half

1 tsp vanilla

Several drop food coloring (optional)

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, whip together butter and powdered sugar and cream or half and half until fluffy. Stir in vanilla. Add in food optional food coloring and mix until well blended.

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Banana Bars with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Say goodbye to banana bread because after trying these banana bars, this may likely be the only recipe you're going to want to use those prime, overripe, generously speckled bananas for =).  I'm pretty sure I could have finished the whole pan on my own.  These are so amazingly moist, with the perfect combination of flavors.  You get tons of banana flavor (notice there's nearly equal portions of banana to flour) with a pinch of warm cinnamon flavor, then you get just a hint of richness from the sour cream and cream cheese along with the perfect balance of sweetness, then to finish an ever so slightly salty crunch from the pecans.  I hate to brag, but I have to say it, these bars are undeniably incredible =)!  I also love the simplicity of this recipe, I created it to be a one bowl recipe (granted you'll have to wash the bowl to make the frosting).  All you have to do is toss all the ingredients into one mixing bowl, stir for 2 minutes and bake, bada bing bada boom!  Love it.  I thought about creating this recipe to be a sheet pan size, but good thing I didn't because I would have a very hard time restraining myself from being engorged by these banana bars =).  

Banana Bars
Yields 12 bars (really you could get 24 but 12 is more fair)


Ingredients:


1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 Tbsp applesauce (or 2 additional Tbsp vegetable oil)
1 egg
1 cup mashed overripe bananas (about 2 large bananas)
1 recipe Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting, recipe follows
1/3 cup chopped pecans


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients (except frosting and pecans) in a large mixing bowl, mix with an electric mixer on low speed for 2 minutes.  Pour mixture into a buttered 13x9* baking dish and spread evenly into pan.  Bake 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.  Cool completely, about 1 hour (I'd recommend covering with saran wrap after cooling 20 minutes to help retain moisture).  Frost with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting and sprinkle optional chopped nuts evenly over top.  Cut into bars.

*A few people have commented below mentioning that these bars seem a bit thin. If you want a thicker, more cake like bar then either make 1.5 the recipe in a 13x9 pan or do just 1 of the recipe in a 9x9 pan and bake a bit longer. I personally like the thinness (it makes them more bar-like) so I make them just as listed, but make them according to what you prefer.


Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting


Ingredients:
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 Tbsp butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar


Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl, mix until smooth and fluffy 1-2 minutes.

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Oranges and Cream Cookies

Is it summer yet?  I'm craving the glistening suns rays warmly beating down upon me while I relax and slowly work my way through a generous scoop of thick ice cream... if only, for now all I can do is bake what brings the flavors of summer =).  These blissful cookies taste just like an orange creamsicle.  I made the chocolate chip version and thought, hmm I bet if I add in white chocolate in place of the chocolate chips it would taste like an orange creamsicle, and wallah it did!  When I said yesterday the Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies were my new favorite cookie, I was referring to both those and these =).  I couldn't decide between the two.  And I will let you in on a trick to enjoy both flavors, once the dry ingredients are incorporated in, divide dough in half then mix 1 cup white chocolate chips into one half of the dough then 1/2 cup semi-sweet and 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips into the other half of dough.  It's a great way to enjoy two kinds of cookies out of one batch of dough.  I hope these cookies become one of your new favorite cookies too!  I know for me they are going to be one of my lifelong favorites.

If you purchase Orange Extract for these cookies you may also like to try Orange Creamsicle Popcorn for another great use of the extract.

Oranges and Cream Cookies
Yields about 4 dozen


Ingredients:
1 recipe Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies, minus milk and semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups white chocolate chips 


Directions:
Prepare and bake according to directions, stir in white chocolate chips in place of milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips.

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Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies (tastes just like an Orange Milano, but better!)

These are officially my new favorite cookie!  They are one of the best cookies I've ever eaten!  These taste just like a Pepperidge Farm Orange Milano Cookie, but I think they are even better because they have all the flavors of that cookie but these are soft and chewy rather than crisp and crunchy.  I've been changing up flavors to all my favorite classics lately like Rice Krispie Treats and Oatmeal, so I decided it was time for a change with the Chocolate Chip Cookie.  So, I came up with this recipe.  I don't know if there could be a better upgrade.  These cookies are a must try!  Enjoy.  
PS just be sure you don't skip out on the orange extract or the orange zest, if you leave one out you wont get that incredible, zesty orange flavor.  They are the key ingredients of this cookie recipe.  You should be able to find the orange extract in the spice section of the grocer/supermarket, it's about $3-$6 and well worth it.
You may also like to try Oranges and Cream Cookies, they taste just like and orange creamsicle and they are made from the same dough as these cookies.

Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yields about 4 dozen


Ingredients:
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp orange extract
1 Tbsp orange zest
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.  Stir in eggs 1 at a time mixing after each addition.  Mix in vanilla extract, orange extract and orange zest.  Slowly add in dry mixture and mix until well incorporated.  Gently stir in milk chocolate chips and semi-sweet chocolate chips.  Drop cookies by heaping tablespoonfuls onto a buttered cookie sheet and bake 9-11 minutes.  Allow to cool on cookie sheet several minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

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