Super Easy Sugar Cookies

We are in the making of history and, while the world still waits with bated breath, many of us experience this to be a very strange time. South Africa is currently in its final week of the first stage of lockdown - level 5! So although for some lucky areas (where the spread is minimal) there will be some limited range of movement permitted, most of us will remain restricted for the foreseeable future. Mother's Day is merely 10 days away and this year, there will be no pretty little gifts that are lovingly thought-out by a teacher and crafted by little hands; no sweet cards or gestures of appreciation for the children to reveal with pride after their day at school. And - if your husband is anything like mine - then at the very mention of this special day, he probably reacted with a surprised "When is Mothers' Day?" Oy vey!

So, how can you ensure that Daddy arranges something special from the kids? Simple! Just share this easy-to-follow recipe with him and then sit back with a well-deserved cup of tea (or maybe something a little stronger!) while he and the kids take over the kitchen. See, some peace and quiet already, and it isn't even Mother's Day yet. You're welcome! :-)

These sugar cookies are quick and easy to make and taste delicious. Bonus: you should already have everything in the cupboard that you need to whip up a batch! Now, I am well aware that there are many men who are quite capable of holding their own in the kitchen, but unfortunately for them there is no "skip to recipe" button on my blog. For the others, I have taken the liberty of providing a more detailed explanation, to make sure there is no need for them to holler for assistance and interrupt your much-needed peace.

Super Easy Sugar Cookies 1 cup butter (200g) room temperature 1 cup sugar 1 egg 1 tbsp vanilla essence 3 cups flour

* 1 tbsp milk/water

- Add the butter and sugar into a bowl and mix together so that it's smooth and creamy.

Room temperature butter makes the mixing much easier. If you forgot to take it out to get to room temperature, you can give it a quick few seconds at a time in the microwave, until it's just soft enough to squish when you touch it. - Add the egg and vanilla and mix into the sugar and butter. - Mix in the flour, 1 cup at a time, to form a soft dough.

The dough should be just slightly clumpy. If it looks too dry (doesn't easily come together in a ball in the warmth of your hands) then you can add a little milk (1 capful at a time) and mix until it just comes together.

- Take a handful of the dough and roll out on a floured surface (remember to dust the rolling pin as well).

The dough can be rolled out to about 0.5 cm. If it's a little thicker, you may need to bake it for a few minutes longer. - Cut shapes out with a cookie cutter and place them on a baking tray.

- Bake for 10–12 minutes at 180˚c. Wait for the cookies to cool slightly before removing them from the tray.

Icing Glaze

1 cup icing sugar

1/8 cup milk/water

Food colouring* (optional)

- Mix the icing and milk together and add the food colouring.

- Take the cookies, one at a time, and dip them facedown into the icing glaze.

This is just one way to ice the cookies (the easiest way), but if you're feeling adventurous, there are some other easy methods below that you can try. - Shake off the excess glaze and set aside to dry. These cookies are generally quite quick and easy to make, although with the kids being involved, it may take a bit longer!

Add some pizzazz!

If you're feeling a bit adventurous, you can try a marble dip. Mix a little more icing glaze in a separate bowl (leave it white this time). Once it is mixed, pour a drizzle into the bowl with your coloured icing. Take your cookie and dip it into the glaze. When you lift it up, you should have a beautiful, abstract marble effect on your cookie. You can repeat this a few times until the white has faded, then add another drizzle and continue as before.

If you have any experience with decorating, or at least a steady hand, then you can put the icing into a piping bag. No piping bag? No problem! Just put it in a Ziploc bag, tie it off and snip a small hole in the corner of the bag.

- You can use the piping bag to pipe a line around the edge of the cookie, then dip it in sprinkles.

- Use the piping bag to pipe a zigzag pattern across the cookies.

Special thanks to my two best friends and their hubbies and children, for helping me test this cookie recipe. I hope you have as much fun with your children as they did! If you share photos of your masterpieces on social media, please tag me @tashastreatsbakery - I would love to see your creations.

Happy baking!