Wednesday, August 26, 2015

cinnamon sugar cookies . . . and apples, apples, apples for Teacher!



I'm re-sharing this post from last year's back-to-school week.

Our 6 and 7-year-old will be attending a new school this year, and it starts a few weeks after the rest of the school district, so we're enjoying these last few days of Summer break . . . and prepping for back-to-school!

I hope you enjoy this first tribute to apple season!

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WARNING . . . There are a lot of photos of apples!

I like to send a "Welcome back!" gift with my kids on their first day of school to give to their teachers.

Last year, I sent a big bag of home-made chewy chocolate chip and toffee cookies.

And this year, we baked cinnamon sugar cookies in the shape of apples!







I bought several varieties of apples at the Farmer's Market earlier in the week . . . Gala, Pink Lady, Braeburn, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, and Red Delicious.








The kids had no idea that there are so many varieties. We even had an apple taste-testing!

Pink Lady and Granny Smith were our favorite!

We decorated our cookies based on the apples we brought home from the Market.

And these were the home-made APPLES our 5- and-6-year old brought their teachers on the first day of school . . .








I packaged them in clear cellophane bags and then tied them with rustic rope. We carefully placed them in a simple brown gift bag cushioned with brown shredded paper.  They were darling!

Here are the kids' interpretations of the apples. They did a great job!


Braeburn 


Golden Delicious & Granny Smith 


Gala


Pink Lady
Did you notice the pink sanding sugar?
This was the girls' favorite apple!



I used my favorite sugar cookie recipe, and added cinnamon and a little nutmeg to give the dough warm hints of Fall. These spices were a great addition!



cinnamon sugar cookies
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2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
12 Tablespoons (1 ½  sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 egg, room temperature
 powder sugar (instead of flour) for rolling out dough
.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .    

Preparation
To make the cookies, in a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt . . . set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and egg. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Mix until just combined.

Form the dough into a flattened ball, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or as long as overnight.

Preheat an oven to 350°F.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. 

On a lightly floured powder sugar surface, roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Using cookie cutters, cut out desired shapes. Transfer to the prepared baking sheets, spacing cookies about 2 inches apart, and bake until just golden around the edges, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the cookies. Transfer the pans to wire racks and let cool for 5 minutes, then remove the cookies from the pans and let cool completely.

Makes 10 to 20 cookies, depending on cutter size.






Sugar Cookie GLAZE
2 ¼  cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
1 Tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

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Combine ingredients and mix until smooth
Using a small paint brush (or the tip of your finger), spread on top of cookies
Sprinkle sanding sugar on top of GLAZE when it's wet

The secret to a 'clean' sugar edge is not letting the glaze drip down the sides of the cookie.
A thick glaze is also key.
After the glaze has been mixed, add 1 Tablespoon of confectioners' sugar at a time, 
until you get the desired consistency.
Have fun!








LET'S STAY in touch!







LET'S STAY in touch!
.      .      .      .      .



Thank you so much for stopping by!
I love reading your comments and appreciate them so much!













40 comments:

  1. I taught for 32 years and I never received a "Welcome Back To School" gift. What a lovely thought and what a cute idea.

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  2. I love this! I may have to make for the kids class :)

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  3. Beautiful Suzanne. Your creativity never ceases to amaze. Sharing these lovely cookies with all my friends. Have a wonderful weekend and thank you for sharing your lovely creations at Foodie Fridays. Always a treat!
    Blessings,
    Shari

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  4. Suzanne these cookies are beyond amazing, they look beautiful and yummy! I love apples as the perfect picture of fall and back to school! I am once again in awe of your artistry in the kitchen! :-)
    Cathy

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  5. These are just gorgeous!! I'll be sharing these cookies with my Facebook friends...they are too beautiful not to! Thanks for linking up with us at Foodie Fridays...I always love to see what you have in store for us! Pinning! Hope you are having a great weekend!

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  6. These are like little works of art! I love the multi-colored sanding sugar; the pink was a great touch! What lucky teachers.

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  7. These are totally awesome. I think my favourite has to be those pink ladies!! Super cute...and yummy too!

    Thanks for sharing at Marvelous Monday at Smart Party Planning.

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  8. You are simply... an artist. Even your delicious cookies look like art!!! Beautiful!!!!!

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  9. Suzanne, your cookies are just fabulous. You always have the best presentation.

    Madonna
    MakeMineLemon

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  10. These look fantastic, Suzanne! I bet the teachers loved them! :)

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  11. Too Too Too cute Suzanne! I have never tried to decorate cookies, I must try your glaze and sanding sugar technique! I'm sure I will make a hot mess of it, but it looks like so much fun! Your photos are gorgeous!
    Jenna

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  12. Wow these are absolutely beautiful!!!

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  13. I bet your children really enjoyed decorating the cookies with you. I can imagine the smile on their teachers' faces as the received their sweet treats. You're simply the best, Suzanne!

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  14. These look amazing! I pinned! Thanks for joining HSH!

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  15. There are so many things I love about this recipe/post. First, these apple cookies are adorable! Second, I seriously <3 sugar cookies and cinnamon, so this is the perfect combination. Third, your post made me want to go apple picking even more! Thanks for sharing on #FoodieFridays! :)

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  16. These are adorable and seriously want to make these for my daughters' teachers now. Thanks for sharing tonight with us!! :)

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  17. Beautiful!! Thanks for linking up to Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop. I am featuring your post on my Facebook page tonight.

    Blessings,
    Diane Roark

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  18. HI Suzanne! These are just too cute! You always share such beautiful food ideas from main courses to cookies.. I love to see what you come up with. Don't forget to stop by and link up to Centerpiece Wednesday and share your creativity with us. http://thestylesisters.blogspot.com/2014/09/centerpiece-wednesday_16.html
    Karin :)

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  19. Your apple cookies are the best looking Fall dessert I have seen. Gorgeous. PInned. Thanks for coming to Weekend Bites ( formally Foodie Friday.)

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  20. Stopping by from Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop. I love these! So cute, pinning:)

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  21. What a fun and thoughtful gift for the teachers in your children's lives. I love the idea of apple cookies! Thanks for sharing at Fridays Unfolded!

    Alison
    Nancherrow

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  22. You never cease to amaze me...these are almost too cute to eat. thanks for sharing with the Thursday Blog Hop!

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  23. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful project on The Inspiration Board at homework. I loved your project and featured you today!
    Have a wonderful weekend!
    carolyn ~ homework

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  24. These cookies are beautiful, and the recipe sounds delicious!!! Pinned. What a great idea!

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  25. Anonymous3:49 AM

    Those look brilliant Suzanne! Thanks for linking up to Sweet and Savoury Sunday, stop by and link up again. Have a great day!! Laura@Baking in Pyjamas

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  26. Anonymous4:21 PM

    How pretty these apples are! I love how they match the illustrations!

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  27. These look absolutely marvelous, Suzanne! I will be featuring your post in this week's Home and Garden Thursday,
    Kathy

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  28. These are the most adorable apple cookies that I have ever seen!

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  29. They look so cute but I am feeling a bit silly as I can't see where the colours come from. Is that the sanding sugar? Does it come in all those colours or is the glaze underneath coloured too?

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for taking the trouble to find me and explain. Coloured sanding sugars, they sound like fun. I'll definitely look out for them and give something like this a whirl!

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  30. I love these cookies. I am adding them to my Cookie Roundup post for Sunday, 10/05/14. Thanks for linking them up to Wonderful Wednesday blog hop.
    Blessings,
    Diane Roark

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    Replies
    1. Diane at Recipesforourdailybread com

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  31. These look amazing!! What a perfect way for starting the new school year off right! Wishing I had one with my morning coffee ~

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  32. Those are so adorable!! I wish our grandkids lived closer -- I'd be making them treats every day!! You do such a great job of putting those special touches to the finished dish. You know, feeding and cooking is loving. Is this the sugar cookie recipe you usually use. It looks like it rolls out nicely. The pink sugar crystals look so cute. My kids used to love to help in the kitchen. I think that's why they like to cook now. Have a wonderful day!! Big Hugs!

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  33. Love that you decorated the cookies differently to represent different types of apples and what a great idea to send your kids to school the first day with a gift for the teacher!

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  34. Too adorable for words! I'm off to find an apple shaped cookie cutter! Love, Mimi xxx

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  35. These are so cute!! I love them!!

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  36. Hi Suzanne, great to see you again ;) I just stopped by to let you know that these were the most clicked link at last week's Teach Me Tuesday linky party. They will be featured at this week's party starting tonight at 7pm CST.

    Thanks so much for linking them up with us!

    Have a great week ;)

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  37. These look so pretty. Your children's teachers must be thrilled when you send these along.

    I don't have an apple cookie cutter, but I do have an autumn leaf one, so I think I'm going to try this soon.

    Thanks!
    Brenda

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  38. These looks so pretty.

    Visit: https://indiafoodnetwork.in/kissantiffintimetable/

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