Sugar Cookies

1/2 cup butter - softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg ('medium" or "large", not "extra large")      
1 tablespoon milk or cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4  teaspoon nutmeg OR 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour - scoop measured (use your measuring cup to scoop flour from the bag, then level)

Cream the butter and sugar together by hand or with a mixer set on the slowest speed until they are fluffy. Beat in the egg, then the milk or cream. Add vanilla at this point if your are using it. Mix the salt and nutmeg into the flour. Mix the flour into the dough. Knead briefly, then chill the dough for 20 minutes if your are planning to make molded cookies. Form the cookies as directed for the Molding or Tile Pressing Instructions.

Bake at 350º in the top third of your oven for 10 - 15 minutes, or until the edges are nicely browned.

Yield: 5 - 8 cookies (depending on the size of your mold), or 16 cookies pressed from cookie tiles.

Double Chocolate Cookies

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 oz. semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg ("medium" or "large", not "extra large")
1-2 tablespoons cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour - scoop measured (used your measuring cup to scoop flour from the bag, then level)

Melt the unsweetened chocolate over very low heat and allow to cool slightly. Grate the semisweet chocolate and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar together by hand or with a mixer set at the slowest speed. Stir in the egg, then the melted chocolate.

Mix the salt with the flour. Stir half of this mixture into the butter/chocolate mixture. Stir in the vanilla or almond extract, 1 tablespoon of cream, then the grated semisweet chocolate. Stir in the rest of the flour. The dough should be quite stiff, but it shouldn't appear dry or crumbly. If it does, knead in the other tablespoon of cream. DO NOT CHILL this dough. Use it to form cookies right away, or it will become crumbly and difficult to handle. (You can still make delicious rolled cookies with dough that has become crumbly). Form the cookies as directed in the Molding or Tile pressing Instructions. 

Instructions for Molding Cookies
Prepare your dough. Most doughs are easier to work with if they have been chilled, but some are not. Carefully, and very lightly, oil a cookie mold, using a little vegetable oil on a pastry brush. You want the thinnest possible film of oil. Flour the mold and tap one edge firmly to jar loose as much excess flour as you can. You will have to re-flour your mold before each cookie, but not re-oil it. 

Now take a piece of the dough, and starting at one side, press it firmly into the mold adding more dough as needed. Keep your hands lightly floured and press with the heel of your hand. Be sure to level the back of the cookie. Hold the filled mold perpendicular to a cutting board and strike the edge sharply four or five times. Don't be afraid to rap the mold quite hard; it won't break if your are holding it at a right angle to the cutting board. Rotate and repeat. 

The cookie should come right out. If the cookies does not release, you have used too much oil. Clean the mold with a stiff dry brush, re-flour, but don't re-oil, and try again.

Place the formed cookie on a baking sheet and bake on a rack in the top third of the oven. 

Usually the cookies bake in 10 to 12 minutes, but times will vary depending on which cookie you make. 

Instructions for Pressing Cookies

Mix the batch of cookie dough, but do not chill it as you would when making molded cookies. Roll the dough into a fat log, about 2 1/2" in diameter. Cut off slices about 1/2" thick. Form these slices into oblong pancakes about 1/4" thick and place one in the corner of an ungreased cookie sheet.

carefully, and very lightly, oil a cookie tile, using a little vegetable oil on a pastry brush. You want the thinnest possible film of oil. Flour the tile and tap one edge firmly to jar loose as much excess flour as you can. you will have to re-flour your tile before each cookie, but not re-oil it.

Holding the tile by its edges, press down on the patty of dough on an ungreased regular cookie sheet, trying to press as evenly as possible. The dough will squeeze out from under the tile. DO NOT use a parchment lined, "Cushion Aire" or Teflon coated baking sheet. leaving the tile in place on top of the pressed cookie, take a knife and cut away the excess dough. Holding the cookie tile by its edges, life it off the cookie, vibrating it as you life to help the dough release. This will leave a narrow border around the cookie.

Place the next patty of dough on the baking sheet, making sure to allow space for the extra dough to squeeze out from under the tile, and proceed as above. Bake on a rack in the top third of the oven. This makes the top of the cookies brown nicely, highlighting the detail.

Instructions for Stamping Cookies

Mix up a batch of cookie dough, but do not chill it as you would when making molded cookies. Roll the unchilled dough into 2" balls and place them 4" apart on an un-greased baking sheet. Stamp each ball with your cookie stamp, leveling the cookie as you press. You need not oil or flour the stamp before making cookies. 

When stamping cookies, take special care to apply pressure to the handle only, not to the figures attached to it. 

This process makes thin cookies. To make thicker cookies, start with a larger ball of dough and don't press as hard. For perfect round cookies, us a small knife and carefully cut away extra dough from around the stamp. Clean the ceramic cookie stamp base with soapy water and a brush. Clean the stamp handles with a damp cloth.

Do not immerse your cookie stamp in water, place in the dishwashers, or in microwave oven.