Pink Cookies and Lists

I am a list maker.

I make lists on little sticky notes, on my hand, in my head, and on my favorite app on my iphone. I currently have 33 lists on my phone.

These are a few of my lists:
Things to do with my Brother in Law when he comes to visit
Things that make me laugh
Grocery list
Movie quotes
Days of the week in French
The address to our summer cabin, because I can never remember it.
Potential aliases
Wines to try
and finally.....things that I love.

There are lots of things on that list and since it is Valentine's Day I will give you a little peek.
Ginger. I am currently obsessed with ginger. I try to work it into everything I can think of. Soon I will grow tired of it, swear off it, and not use it again for a very long time.
The sound of waves crashing on the beach. It's like Xanax to me.
The smell of wet cedar. Instantly transports me home to Seattle.
OPI "I Pink I Love You" nail polish. Just because it's pretty.
My favorite book "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith.
Pink Cookies. Thick buttery cookies with piles of slightly crusted sugary frosting. Must be pink.

And don't even get me started on these people

Or this guy

Love them more than I have words to describe. Needless to say they are at the top of every list.

Yesterday the girls and I made a batch, or two, of sugar cookies, frosted them (pink of course) and handed them out to friends at school today. It was fun, and sweet, and I have to go now. I've eaten a few too many of them today and my sugar buzz has turned into the need for a nap.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Sugar Cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup of sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract

1 tablespoon of milk

Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough

In a medium sized mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and then set aside.

Beat together the butter and sugar in large bowl of a stand mixer until fluffy and light in color. Add egg, milk, and extracts and beat well to combine. The mixture may look a little curdled at this point but don’t worry.

With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture, and beat until the cookie dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.

The dough may be a little crumbly, if so, knead it a bit and then divide the dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough and rolling pin with powdered sugar. Remove 1 portion of dough from the refrigerator at a time. Roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes, place at least 1-inch apart on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges. Transfer to a wire rack and let the cookies cool completely. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

Crusting Buttercream Frosting

8 cups Icing Sugar

1 cup unsalted butter (If you want a pure white frosting use original Crisco)

Generous pinch of salt

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (use clear if you want white frosting)

½ cup – ¾ cup milk

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter, vanilla and salt until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl about 3 times.

With the mixer on low, add in the powder sugar, one cup at a time. When you find your mixture getting very thick and the mixer has a hard time incorporating the icing sugar, slowly add in some milk. The amount of milk you use will depend on how thick you want your frosting. For a creamy frosting use the greater quantity of milk, for a stiffer frosting, use the lesser quantity.

Tint the frosting as desired. This pipes like a dream. Allow the cookie or cake to sit uncovered to allow the frosting to set and crust. This will allow your decorations to hold up and transport easier.

Or, if you’re like me, eat the cookies right away.

You can freeze this frosting in an airtight container for 3 months. Defrost at room temperature, the whisk it a bit to fluff it up again.