So…this happened.

Instead of making goals like, “Run for office” or “Do an Ironman” or “Save Money” I decide, “I need to make a different sugar cookie every month this year.” And so here we are. Month one. Sugar Cookie number one. I don’t really know if I can top this, they are easily one of the best treats I have ever created.

You see, this sugar cookie recipe is old, classic, and foolproof. There are so many fun directions you can go…Different frostings, different cookie cutters, different seasons…the possibilities are endless! One problem I have – I am the worst cookie decorator of all time.

But I will always say that taste trumps looks in the culinary world. Sure…it may look beautiful…but if it tastes bad, it’s all out the window. And so here we are. Basic, round sugar cookies…with maple frosting and crumbled bacon. Thank God for the invention of maple bacon everything!

I can’t really promise anything more amazing than this – there will be more sugar cookies…they just won’t be maple bacon. Most of the recipes this year will be using the classic sugar cookie dough recipe that Grammy used…a recipe that may be more near and dear to my heart than any other recipe out there. I’ll explore different ways to make these cookies fun, tasty, and seasonal! Now you know my goal and can hold me to it…And I will need to be sharing lots of cookies…

Recipe
Maple Bacon Sugar Cookies
By Baked Northwest 
Makes about 30 round sugar cookies (you will only use half of the cookie dough)

Ingredients

For the Cookies:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 ½ cups sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
½ cup sour cream
4 cups flour, plus more for rolling out the dough
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp nutmeg

For the Maple Frosting:

1/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk (nonfat is fine)
Crumbled Crispy Bacon, for topping (about 8 oz, half of a regular sized package)

Directions

For the Cookies:

In a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla, mix thoroughly. Add sour cream, mix thoroughly.

Sift together flour, salt, soda, baking powder and nutmeg. Add to butter mixture in
two parts and mix thoroughly.

Divide the dough into two parts and wrap each in wax paper. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. For the amount of frosting we are making, you will only use half of the dough. You can freeze the 2nd batch of dough for another use, or just double the frosting recipe!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

On a clean, floured surface, roll out the dough with a rolling pin. Roll the dough so it’s about 1/4 – 1/2 inch thick, and use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out shapes of the dough. For these cookies, I used the top of a stemless wine glass to cut out perfect circles. Use a cookie spatula (better known as a pancake flipper) to move your cookies from the floured surface to a well greased baking sheet. Ungreased silicone baking sheet liners work great here too.

Bake the cookies at 400 degrees F for 8-10 minutes. You never want them to get too browned around the edges, or they’ll be super crunchy. We like ours on the softer side. Baking time depends on what shapes you cut your cookies into – we have adjusted baking times from 8-12 minutes depending on the size of our cookies. Let cool completely before frosting.

For the Maple Frosting:

Combine butter, salt, syrup, vanilla, and 1 cup of the sugar. Add milk and remaining sugar, alternately. Mix until smooth & creamy.

Cook bacon over medium heat in a frying pan until crispy, remove onto paper towels and let cool. Chop the bacon into small bits. Frost the cooled cookies with the maple frosting, and sprinkle bacon bits on top. Cookies keep well in the fridge for a up to a week, a few days at room temperature. Enjoy!

NOTE: I made a full recipe of the dough and only used half. This cookie dough freezes really well and can be saved for another use, or you can double the frosting recipe and go crazy and bake all of the cookies!