Neon Tie-Dye Sugar Cookies

How cool are these?

This is my go-to sugar cookie recipe because it makes really soft, buttery cookies which I prefer over the crisp kind.  It’s a great recipe to have on hand since it requires only a few, basic ingredients that you usually always have in stock.

Now let’s talk neon. wel;ilrjqwjfakljfakkjafj. SO COOL.

My mom sent me this neon food coloring in a care package a few weeks ago (yes, my mom still sends her 23-year-old daughter care packages because she is AWESOME and I refuse to be a real life grown up).  From another blog (Life Exquisite), I was introduced to “tie-dye” cookies so I decided to try it out with the neon for my coworker’s birthday.

Fun, easy and delicious.

Ingredients:

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Neon food coloring (try to find the liquid kind as opposed to the gel kind)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F
2. Mix flour, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl.
3. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth.  Beat in the egg and vanilla.
4. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients.
5. Divide the dough evenly into 3 separate balls and put each ball into its own bowl.
6. Using food coloring, make each ball a color (I chose to do blue, green and pink). I mixed with my hands because it was fastest but this WILL stain your hands so if you’re too cool for that make sure you use a spoon or electric mixer.
7. Place the 3 balls back into the large bowl and VERY GENTLY mix the three colors together…don’t over mix!
8. Place rounded tablespoons onto baking sheet
9. Bake for 7 minutes.

Beware: May lead to neon-stained hands 🙂

White Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies

Happy Valentine’s Day! Making these to bring in to work tomorrow…and secretly because I’ve been dying to use these hot pink sprinkles I bought a few weeks ago 🙂

 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons powered sugar
• 1/4 cup regular, white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into chunks
• 1 teaspoon water
• 1 bag of white chocolate chips (for dipping cookies in)
• Sprinkles (for decoration)

Directions:

For cookies:

1. Preheat oven to 375F
2. Combine all ingredients and mix well until a dough is formed
3. Put dough on plastic wrap and roll into a log, refrigerate for 30 minutes
4. On a flour dusted surface, remove dough from plastic wrap and roll the dough out until it’s about 1/3 inch thick
5. With a sharp knife, cut dough into rectangle shapes
6. Put cookies on baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes…until the edges just start to brown
7. Let cool for at least 30 minutes

For decorating:

1. Melt white chocolate chips in a double boiler (check out the picture if you don’t know what this is)..making sure to constantly stir chocolate so it doesn’t burn
2. Dip half of each shortbread cookie in white chocolate and place on a sheet of parchment paper
3. Decorate with colored sprinkles 🙂
4. Let cool for at least 20 minutes