Yum, It’s Sugar Cookie Day!

Proof positive Sugar Cookies aren’t just for Christmas. Either that or it’s Christmas in July. Call it what you want, it’s all good.

Sugar cookies have a plain, classic flavor and have been baked in American ovens for centuries. The sugar cookie is believed to have originated in the mid-1700s in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. German Protestant settlers created a round, crumbly and buttery cookie that came to be known as the Nazareth Cookie. The popularity and availability of sugar cookies rose when sugar became widely available. By the 1950s Pillsbury began selling pre-mixed refrigerated sugar cookie dough in US grocery stores, as a type icebox cookie.

Today, sugar cookie making and decorating has become an art form for kids and adults alike. Kiddo and I have spent many a day painstakingly painting our creations only to see them gone in an instant. These sugar cookies are more buttery than the traditional cut cookie. The toasted pecans add both texture and flavor not typically found in your Christmas Cookies.

With all those summer gatherings and hikes and picnics by the river, lake or stream, cookies would make the perfect finish to a lovely afternoon. So here’s to National Sugar Cookie Day and the magic of July.

Glazed Browned Butter Pecan Sugar Cookies
Cookies
1/3 cup Butter
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
1 (16.5 oz) roll refrigerated Sugar Cookie Dough
1/4 cup Flour
2 tablespoons firmly packed Brown Sugar

Heat oven to 350-degrees.

In saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 5 minute. Remove browned butter from heat; cool 10 minutes.

Finely chop pecans. Place in a dry skillet over medium heat, lightly toast pecans. Set aside to cool.

In large bowl, break up cookie dough. Add 2 tablespoons of the cooled butter, the pecans, flour and brown sugar. Stir dough with spoon, or knead with hands until well mixed. Shape dough into 28 (1 1/4-inch) balls. Place dough balls 2 inches apart on large ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 11 to 14 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

While the cookies cool, make the browned butter glaze.

Glaze
Reserved Browned Butter
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
3 teaspoons Half-and-Half

In small bowl, stir remaining cooled butter, powdered sugar and half-and-half until smooth. If necessary, adding 1/2 teaspoon half-and-half at a time until mixture is thin enough to drizzle. Pour into 1-quart resealable food-storage plastic bag. Cut off small corner of bag. Pipe onto cookies.

Let stand about 1 hour or until drizzle is set. Store in airtight container.