Softie Sugar Cookies

You know those softie sugar cookies they sell at the grocery store? The huge ones with thick frosting and tons of sprinkles?

They are heavenly.

And adorable.

I just love how they change the icing color and the sprinkles on them for every holiday imaginable.

So every time I “crave” sugar cookies, what I really want is a soft one smothered in icing. But every time I make them at home, they turn out as nothing more than your average boring plain-old sugar cookie.

NOT what I had in mind.

Store-bought softie cookies are also a splurge. And since we’re trying to save money and only buy what we need, I usually have to deny my cravings and grudgingly put the cookies back on the shelf.

Until Pinterest changed my life.

I’m not exaggerating – ever since I joined Pinterest I’ve been much more domestic. Cooking things from scratch, organizing random nooks and crannies around the house, it’s crazy!

So when I found the recipe for Mennonite Soft White Cookies, I felt like I’d hit the jackpot. I could make my own softie sugar cookies for a fraction of the cost!  

I made the dough last night, and let it chill for over 12 hours.

The Munchkin was down for a nap, and I was ready to roll me some deliciously cutesy cookies. I was Martha Stewart in the kitchen. These were going to be the best cookies ever!  I dug out my ginormous container of cookie cutters that I use maybe once every other year, and made a huge mess looking for the flower one.

I was ready to make magic happen.

Then I tried to get the dough out of the bowl, and realized that when the recipe says…

“You may want to add more flour”

…what they really MEAN is, you’ll need to add 2 more cups of flour so the dough doesn’t stick to your countertop, hands, spoon, and every other surface imaginable.

Yuck.

Anyway, after adding way more flour I finally achieved a cut-out that was good enough to stick in the oven. 11 minutes later these beauties were cooling and smelling delicious.

Of course, by the time all the cookies were done, it was an hour later and Munchkin was up from his nap. Thankfully the episodes of Fraggle Rock are still on Netflix, and he is easily entertained. Woo!

I mixed up the icing, pulled out my pastry bag and sprinkles, and the finished product ended up looking like this –

Now that is what I’m talking about!

They taste as good as they look. Trust me.

Ultimately these turned out really close to the store-bought ones. Next time I’ll be sure to add more flour before I try to roll out the dough and make a complete mess of my kitchen. And also halve the recipe…

…because now we have nearly 4 dozen cookies littering our countertops, and the Hubby is on a diet.

Oops.