smooth and creamy
Friday, April 01, 2011Nigel. Nigel. Nigel.
My friend, Jennifer, is a flight attendant. Jennifer was working a flight from New York to Venice when her path crossed with Nigel. Nigel boarded the plane with a container full of sugar cookies. Sugar cookies that he baked. (How darn NICE is that!) Jennifer described them as one of the best cookies she has ever tasted. Nigel told her that he has won many awards with those cookies. (How lucky were those flight attendants?!) Nigel emailed Jennifer the recipe.
These are Nigel's Sugar Cookies and his words:
I use three cookie sheets when I bake these cookies. You will also need a glass, about 3" across and completely smooth on the bottom.
I use three cookie sheets when I bake these cookies. You will also need a glass, about 3" across and completely smooth on the bottom. Preheat oven to 325˚ ( 350˚ in New Mexico for the elevation.)
Ingredients: (All at room temperature.)
1 stick sweet butter (same as unsalted) (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Mix together until very smooth and creamy. Then add:
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I use canola)
Mix together until very smooth and creamy. Then add:
1 large egg
Mix together until very smooth and creamy. Then add:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Mix together until very smooth and creamy. Then add:
1 tsp vanilla
Mix together until very smooth and creamy.
Now, 1/2 cup all purpose flour in a separate bowl gets added to it:
1 teaspoon baking SODA
1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter
1/4 teaspoon salt
Mix together and then add to the butter mixture.
1/2 cup at a time, add another 2 cups of all purpose flour.
All mixed together nice and smooth? Good. {I loved that part. It was like Nigel was talking to me.}
Roll the dough into balls the size of a large grape. {Thinking mine were a bit larger than a large grape.}I get 12 of these on a cookie sheet.
Here is the secret part: Take the glass and press it into the bowl of dough to put a film of oil on the bottom. Now take the glass and put it in a bowl of granulated sugar. The sugar will cling to the oil and leave a layer of granules on the bottom.
Now use the glass to squish the little balls of dough. This takes some practice. Sometimes each cookie takes two pressings with more sugar added each time.
Bake your first tray for 5 minutes. They are cooked when the edges show the slightest hint of even thinking about the merest possibility of turning brown.
If not cooked after 5 minutes add more cooking time in 30 second intervals.
One tray in the oven. One tray cooling. One tray being prepped. I get an average of 12 dozen cookies out of one batch.
Okay, so I made them. They really are unbelievable. They are thin (wondering if mine could have been even thinner, my glass had a bit of an arch) and crispy and you feel like you could eat a dozen. And of course, my kids LOVED them.
I did email Nigel to ask his permission to share his recipe. Nigel couldn't have been sweeter and funnier. He also did mention that he tweaks this recipe when he enters them in the state fair in order to meet requirements. The cookies have won blue ribbons 6 years in a row in New Mexico and another 2 in New York!
Wow. Thank you, Nigel!
I heard Charlie wake Andrew at 6 am to tell him to hurry and get up, time to find the Easter baskets. Andrew didn't buy it. But, I almost did.
Happy April Fools Day!
40 comments
This recipe comes at a perfect time as my brother is coming to visit NY from London today and I wanted to bake something for his arrival. One silly question...does sweet butter mean unsalted? Or is it some other magical buttery goodness I have yet to discover in life?
ReplyDeleteThere is a chance that if you mix some cinnamon or 5 spice powder with your sugar before you dip your glass into it, the cookies might be even better. This recipe is a lot like the Snickerdoodles recipe that I use and that recipe calls for cinnamon.
ReplyDeleteI was going to ask the same question as Samantha about sweet butter and also, since I'm in Blighty, could someone kindly tell me how much a stick of it might weigh...
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to trying this recipe.
This whole post made my day.
ReplyDeleteOh these look really good! Hope all is well! Have a happy weekend!
ReplyDeleteI have got to try these. Thanks to you and Nigel!
ReplyDeleteWe were trying to decide what cookies to make today. This is perfect.
ReplyDeleteMckenzie is on a baking binge...i'll get her to try these! It's april fool's here at our house...saran wrapped doors, kitchen hose sprayers booby trapped, balloons in doors...I'm looking over my shoulder all day. have a great weekend!
ReplyDeletethat's it - I'm baking!!!
ReplyDeleteOoo, those look yummy! I love a good sugar cookie.
ReplyDeleteAnd... did Jennifer and Nigel end up getting married? This is totally a movie waiting to be made.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to try these. We are sugar cookie crazy around here, they are our special favorite along with chocolate chip of course. My son is in town so these will be made for sure!
ReplyDeleteThis is so funny! I love Nigel!
ReplyDeleteIs it 1 1/2 cups flour all in all?
i heart nigel.
ReplyDeleteOh, my. Those do sound fabulous. And I am home and have some time. But I should be painting... Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteone pound of butter is 2cups, so a stick, or a half-cup would be 1/4lb. or 4oz.. I'm pretty sure sweet butter would just be unsalted. If you can't get unsalted, then I'd say to leave out that 1/4tsp. salt.
ReplyDeleteThey sound yummy.
Thanks for the recipe for the week-end!
That's got to go in my recipe pile! Thanks to you and Nigel for sharing!
ReplyDeleteooh, these look amazing!! thank you for sharing the recipe!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the cookie recipe. This sounds right up my alley since I'm a sucker for cinnamon sugar cookies.
ReplyDeletehmm... nummy.. sugar cookies. I do eat a dozen when I make them!
ReplyDeleteI'll have to give Nigel's recipe a try- thanks for sharing with us! :)
OH , they look and sound sooo tastie. I am going to try these, I love a good cookie!
ReplyDeleteGreat april fool's joke! The cookies sound/look delicious too.
ReplyDeletethese bickies sound delicious. please could you let me know what sweet butter is? i have never heard of it before...
ReplyDeleteThey look so good! Is this story true? I doubt everything today...
ReplyDeleteWell now I have another cookie to make. Sugar cookies are my favorite. I love the April Fools try.
ReplyDeleteI've never been a big fan of sugar cookie, but then wall of the ones I've tried have been from the store bakery and a little stale. So I think I should try some award winning cookies to see what all of the fuss is about.
ReplyDeleteYum! I love just about all cookies (and it shows). I'm sending this recipe to myself. =)
ReplyDeleteThat Nigel is someone fantastic.
ReplyDeleteI made them this morning using coconut oil and ww flour. My kiddos gobbled them. big thanks to you and Nigel.
ReplyDeleteNOM NOM NOM! I'm going to try these this weekend.
ReplyDeleteI can not wait to try these! I heart sugar cookies!
ReplyDeleteI have been looking for a good sugar cookie recipe for ages so I will definitely be giving these a go. They sound delicious!!!
ReplyDeleteWe made these this week and are in love. I'm starting my second round this morning to bring to a party. Thanks Leslie and thanks to Nigel.
ReplyDeleteI'm am currently finishing up a batch of Nigel's cookies, half with cinnamon and sugar. I want to thank you and Nigel, where ever he may be, for sharing this. :D
ReplyDeleteThese cookies are delicious! I brought them a few different places (because this recipe makes a lot) and got compliments left, right, and center. Oh, Nigel.
ReplyDeletehttp://bee-and-you.blogspot.com/2011/04/cookie-update.html
Curses on you - I *am* eating a dozen. These are incredible. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteShame on you for posting these! I just finished baking them and if I'm not careful, there may not be any left for my son's cub scout den tonight!! Whatever the boys don't eat are going to work with my husband. Cookies like these are the reason I very rarely bake (I end up eating them all))!
ReplyDeleteI asked hubby to go to the store for cream of tartar tonight. two stores later, i made the cookies! they are yummy: crisp, sweet and delicate! plus, i'm in new mexico so maybe i can cheer for nigel's cookies at the state fair this year. thanks for sharing on your beautiful blog.
ReplyDeleteThe butter is 113g by the calculators. 2.5cups flour total. I wasn't sure if my butter was unsalted or not so left out the added salt - all good!! V popular but wish I'd read on to see the cinnamon/5spice tip. Wondering if anyone has sub'd/added any lemon or cocoa for flavouring and would like to offer how it went...?
ReplyDeletejust made these as Christmas cookies and finished them off with green & red sugar and they are TO. DIE. FOR. they probably won't make it to Christmas. i guess i'll just have to make more! :-)
ReplyDelete