Chewy Sugar Cookies

Despite being 21 weeks pregnant, I'm still running 4 to 5 times a week. It's certainly not easy, but I generally feel pretty good after a run, and therefore am pretty motivated to keep it up.  However, the other day when I was getting ready to lace up my sneakers, I was stuck by a different sort of motivation:  I needed to bake and eat sugar cookies. 


So I replaced my sports bra with an apron, and with my daughter's eager help, went about making some delicious sugar cookies.  When I say cookies, I mean real cookies, made with evil white flour and refined sugar, with plenty of butter.  And they were DELICIOUS.  They came out soft and chewy, just the way I prefer my cookies.  All in all, I made the wise choice that afternoon.  My daughter also agrees.

Chewy Sugar Cookies

Yields 36 Cookies

Recipe Adapted from Add a Pinch

INGREDIENTS

1 Cup Unsalted Butter, softened

1 1/2 Cups White Sugar

1 Egg, lightly beaten

2 1/4 Cups All Purpose Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

3/4 tsp Kosher Salt

1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

1/4 tsp Almond Extract

1/4 Cup Additional White Sugar

DIRECTIONS

1.  In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugar with a spatula, until well combined.  Stir in the egg until completely incorporated.

2.  Stir in flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla extract, and almond extract until just combined. Try not to over mix.

3.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and place the bowl with cookie dough in the fridge.  Allow dough to refrigerate for half an hour while the oven preheats.

4.  Remove dough from fridge and roll the dough into 36 balls (about a heaping tablespoon size).  Place all the rolled cookie balls into the large bowl and sprinkle with 1/4 sugar.  Shake the bowl so that the cookie balls are evenly coated with the sugar.

5.  Place cookie balls onto a baking sheet (ideally lined with a baking mat or parchment paper), keeping the dough about two inches apart (I put 12 cookie dough balls to a pan).  Using the bottom of a glass (or the palm of your hand), press each cookie lightly so they are  flattened to the thickness you prefer (see picture below).

6.  Bake at 350 degrees for 9-12 minutes, or until lightly browned on the bottom sides.  Once cool, store in an airtight container.