Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Mom's Buttermilk Cookies


There is nothing more wonderful than the beautiful simplicity of a drop cookie. And, it doesn't take much to turn them into something special - just some luscious frosting and a few sprinkles. These buttermilk cookies are soft and tender and provided me with a blank canvas that I used to create a winter wonderful with just a sprinkle of white sugar crystals. The recipe is from Taste of Home's Best Loved Cookies and Candies, copyright 2010.


Mom's Buttermilk Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup buttermilk

Frosting:
3 tbsp. butter, softened
3-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts, optional

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

For the frosting, combine the butter, confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla in a bowl; beat until smooth. Frost the cookies; sprinkle with chopped walnuts if desired.

Cream the butter and sugar together.


Beat in the egg and vanilla flavoring.


Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add them alternately with the buttermilk. I usually add 1/3 of the flour at a time.


It's very rare that I have buttermilk in the refrigerator so I thought I would use it in as many recipes as possible over the holidays.


Add half of the buttermilk after adding the first 1/3 of the flour. Repeat the process one more time then add the remaining 1/3 of flour.

The batter will be thick and will smell wonderful like pound cake batter!



I like to use a spoon and spatula when I'm making drop cookies. Parchment paper is a must!!


The drop cookie: perfect in its imperfection.


I baked for exactly ten minutes.


While the cookies cooled, I whipped up the frosting, starting with 3 tbsp. of softened butter.


Next came the powdered sugar.


And, finally, the milk and vanilla.


The frosting was VERY thick so I added another tablespoonful of milk.


The perfect consistency!


Grab your favorite sprinkles and get creative!


These cookies are soft, rich, and creamy like eating a pound cake in cookie form. Perfect for your holiday cookie tray!

Enjoy!!!



4 comments:

  1. These cookies are so good! Mama brought us some "leftovers" so we got to sample everything.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I loved these. They were my Mama's favorites but my Daddy kept eating them so she only got one. I think I'm going to make them at Valentine's Day and add some pink frosting and sprinkles.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Classic...and a family favorite too! :)

    ReplyDelete

I love reading and responding to your comments. While links to your food/family-related blogs are welcome, no solicitation is allowed. Thank you for your understanding.

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.