Wives with Knives

always fun ... sometimes edgy

Old Fashioned Soft Sugar Cookies

 

P1010730-001

 HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY
and welcome to the seventh annual St. Patrick’s Day Blog Crawl hosted by my friend Kathleen at Cuisine Kathleen. Join the party and help celebrate everything Irish.  You will find all the participants by clicking on the link to Kathleen’s blog.

St. Patrick’s Day was always a special occasion in my home and our dinner was as traditional and unchanging as our Thanksgiving meal:  corned beef and cabbage, steamed carrots and boiled, buttered potatoes served with a cruet of cider vinegar and a bowl of horseradish cream sauce. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it.  

I want to take little St. Paddy’s Day treats to the ladies I swim with every day so decided on shamrock cookies made with my favorite soft sugar cookie dough.  Most of my sugar cookie recipes produce cookies that are buttery and crisp and keep a sharp image when I use my cookie molds or special cutters, but this recipe with sour cream produces a very flavorful, soft cookie that is delicious frosted.  My favorite frosting is a simple powdered sugar/water glaze that sprinkles stick to like glue.

P1010725

Here are a few of my family’s favorite St. Patrick’s Day dinner recipes.  If you don’t have favorites of your own I hope you give one of them a try.  Don’t forget to serve a little cruet of vinegar and a bowl of horseradish cream sauce along side.  And please take a few minutes to stop by Cuisine Kathleen to see how others are celebrating  this very special day.  On St. Patrick’s Day there is a little bit of Irish in everybody.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Corned Beef and Cabbage

 

Potato Cauliflower Mash

Potato Cauliflower Mash with Onions and Cabbage

 

Irish Lamb Stew

Irish Lamb Stew

 

Colcannon

Colcannon

 

My great great grandparents were born in Belfast, Ireland, in 1834, and immigrated to the United States because of devastating famine and political and religious persecution at home.    I remember my great grandmother, Catherine, singing this sad song so often that I had it memorized by the time I was old enough to go to school.

Wearin’ of the Green

by Dion Boucicault
 “Oh Paddy dear and did you hear the news that’s going ’round?
the shamrock is forbid by law to grow on Irish ground
No more St. Patrick’s Day to keep, his colours can’t be seen
there is a cruel law against the wearing of the green”
I met with Napper Tandy and he took me by the hand
and he said, “How’s dear old Ireland and how does she stand?”
“She’s the most distressful country that you have ever seen
they’re hangin’ men and women there for wearing of the green”

Then if the colour we must wear is England’s cruel red
let it remind us of the blood that Ireland has shed
so take the shamrock from your hat and throw it to the sod
and never fear will take root there though under foot it’s trod
when the law can stop the blades of grass from growing as they grow
and when the leaves of summertime their verdue dare not show
well it’s then I’ll change the colour that I wear in my corbeen
but till that time praise God I’ll keep to wearing of the green.

St. Patrick's Day image belleek vase

 

Old Fashioned Soft Sugar Cookies
 
Print
Ingredients
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) soft butter
  • 1-1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Combine flour with baking powder, soda, salt and nutmeg. Set aside
  2. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, at medium speed, beat butter, sugar and egg until light and fluffy.
  3. At low speed beat in sour cream and vanilla until smooth.
  4. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until well combined.
  5. Form dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate several hours or overnight.
  6. Divide dough into 2 equal parts. Refrigerate one half until ready to roll out.
  7. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat.
  8. On a floured surface roll out dough, one half at a time, to ¼-inch thickness.
  9. Cut out cookies with a floured cookie cutter. Place 2-inches apart on the baking sheet.
  10. Bake 10-12 minutes until slightly brown around the edges. Don't over bake if you want soft cookies.
  11. Cool on a wire rack, then frost if desired.
Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe

Comments

  1. Babs says

    Everything looks delicious,and soft sugar cookies? Lovely. Thanks for the recipe.I’ll definitely make those.
    The horseradish creme is new to me and something I’ll look for at the store, Thanks for the suggestion. Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you and your family.

  2. ellen b. says

    Those cookies look so good. They are frosted so nicely. Maybe this year I’ll try something a little different to go with the corned beef and cabbage like that potato cauliflower mash! Happy St. Pat’s day to you!
    ellen b. recently posted..It’s Guinness Time…My Profile

  3. rebecca says

    these look wonderful hope your well
    rebecca recently posted..Old German Baptist Brethren ChurchMy Profile

  4. Aimee says

    I am SO excited for St. Patrick’s Day–already bought my corned beef but couldn’t (sigh) find any of my favorite Irish butter. Your Irish Lamb Stew looks fabulous and makes me want some of that too. Loved the story you shared on that post–sweet! One of my family history surnames was Wallace also and I’ve always thought they were Scottish, but maybe not:)
    Blessings, Aimee

      • Aimee says

        Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you Cathy! Thanks for your reply. A friend of mine found some for me at Albertson’s so we enjoyed my beloved Irish butter tonight along with some other Irish fare:)
        Blessings, Aimee

  5. Pondside says

    Boiled dinner was a favourite when I was growing up – always served with homemade Chow Chow. Your cookies sound delicious!
    I remember that song, and once learned it in elementary school, when we had an Irish music teacher.

  6. Liz @ Infuse With Liz says

    Those cookies look so good! I have to remember to use the powdered sugar icing on mine with the sprinkles- perfect! I’ve never had horseradish cream sauce- sounds good! I hope you have a happy St. Patrick’s Day!

  8. Monique says

    Perfect for Easter also Cathy..how nice of you to treat your swim gals:)
    My great grandfather was Irish too:)
    Monique recently posted..Dulce De Leche Bundt..and this and that~and this and that..My Profile

    • Cathy says

      Hi Monique – The cookie dough has so much flavor and is perfect for cookie cutters with no detail. It gets completely lost when the cookies are baked. So many people immigrated to the US from Ireland in the mid 1800’s. Life there must have been terrible. Thank you for your comment.
      Cathy recently posted..Old Fashioned Soft Sugar CookiesMy Profile

  9. Sam @ My Carolina Kitchen says

    Looks like you are set to eat well on St. Patrick’s Day Cathy. I know your swim ladies will adore your cookies. Soft in the center are my husbands favorites.
    Have a great weekend.
    Sam
    Sam @ My Carolina Kitchen recently posted..Meyer Lemon ChickenMy Profile

    • Cathy says

      Corned beef and cabbage is one of my favorite dinners. I’m going to buy several at Costco today so we can enjoy it on other occasions. The sandwiches are so good for picnics in the summer. Happy weekend to you and Meakin.
      Cathy recently posted..Old Fashioned Soft Sugar CookiesMy Profile

  10. Kathleen says

    Loved your post! We learned that song as children too! Your cookies look delicious, my stomach is growling. Everything looks so good!

    And aren’t you good to swim every day, that is wonderful! Snow shoveling is the only exercise I get of late, but we are starting to defrost!
    Thanks so much for taking part in the 7th Annual ♣ Blog Crawl! So good to see my old friends join in!
    Kathleen recently posted..7th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Blog Crawl~My Profile

    • Cathy says

      Swimming is so much easier than snow shoveling. I’m sure you have more than gotten your fill of that this year. I hope everything thaws out soon and you will start to see a few signs that Spring is coming. Thanks so much for hosting this wonderful event. I always look forward to it. Have a good weekend, Kathleen. Have I told you that my daughter is named Erin Kathleen? Doesn’t get much more Irish than that!
      Cathy recently posted..Old Fashioned Soft Sugar CookiesMy Profile

  11. Kitty says

    Hi Cathy,
    I swim most days, too, with a lovely group of ladies. I’m sure your friends were thrilled with your cookie gift bags. I’d love to try the recipe because I love soft sugar cookies. Happy St. Paddy’s Day!

  12. Susan says

    What a wonderful treat for your swimmer friends, Cathy! Your cookies look delicious and I am saving the recipe! Everything else has my mouth watering too. The luck of the Irish to you!
    Susan recently posted..Irish Potato and Cabbage Soufflé with Smoked CheddarMy Profile

  13. Liz says

    Your cookies look terrific, Cathy! Wish Bill would eat corned beef and I’d add that to my menu!!!

  14. Madonna/aka/Ms. Lemon says

    Wonderful cookies – beautifully presented – dinner looks delish also.
    Madonna/aka/Ms. Lemon recently posted..Vegetable Beef SoupMy Profile

  15. Candy S says

    The cookies look great! I printed out the recipe and pinned it in case I loose my printed copy. The corned beef is looking really good too.
    Candy S recently posted..King O’Dell Saint Patrick’s Day TablescapeMy Profile

  16. Betty says

    I bet your swimming buddies will love these- I know I would! 🙂
    Betty recently posted..Spotted Dog: An Irish Tea CakeMy Profile

  17. Adri says

    Cathy, you are the Queen of cookies. I swear, every cookie you make just grabs me. I have said it before, but I need to be your neighbor. I would gladly volunteer for taste testing.
    Adri recently posted..The White Widow – a Punch Abruzzo cocktailMy Profile

  19. Kathleen says

    I saw your message, wanted to see if I could get here.
    Kathleen recently posted..The Final Four~ Meatless FridayMy Profile

    • Cathy Farley says

      Thanks so much for commenting, Kathleen. Just got the phone call that my blog was back online. I’m being assured that all the malicious text is gone and I shouldn’t worry about it, but I panicked when I got the news about the viruses and I need a little time to recover. I had to hire the “big guys” to scour out all the bad stuff.

Recent Posts

Pecan Pie Bars

posted on

Cruising Through Europe – Rothenburg ob der Tauber

posted on

Apple Oatmeal Cake and a Little of This and That

posted on

© 2013 Cathy Farley. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cathy Farley and Wives With Knives with appropriate and specific direction ("links") to the original content.