Day 5: Soft Sugar Cookies

First of all, I need to vent a little bit, so bear with me here. I had previously applied to a local grad school to get my teaching credential way back in August for the spring semester, which starts in January. We were supposed to hear back by November 30th whether we got in or not. About two weeks before that date, I get a call from the head of the education department asking me where my application was supposed to be sent because it somehow got all mixed up with others. After telling the lady that I was applying for my teaching credential and not my masters in education (you have to get your credential before you can go for your masters), she reassured me that she would send it in the right direction.

A week later, I get snail mail from the school saying that I was denied from the masters program because I wasn’t qualified since I didn’t have my teaching credential. I email the credential department and they say that they have no records of me ever applying. The head honcho sent my application to the wrong department. Awesome. So I go into the school and talk to admissions. After about 45 minutes on campus, the lady tells me that she now sent me application to the right department and it is being reviewed. She also tells me that I should hear back from them in about a week.

A week goes by… nothing. A week and a half… still nothing. My status online still says that my application is “being reviewed.” I email the credential department telling them by situation and if I could find out the status of my application since school is about to start in oh… 3 weeks. I finally get an email back from them today saying that I was admitted in Fall 2008 and that there is no current application from me. What… the.. heck?! I have never applied to that school in my life, and why would I apply in fall 2008 when I was currently a junior at UCLA?

Basically, I’m really frustrated with this school and obviously, I’m not meant to go to grad school *sarcasm*. BLAHH. So now I’m in a bit of a ruckus trying to figure out what in the world I’m supposed to do with my life. I need a job— can’t find one and apparently I don’t qualify for most because I have no “real world” experience, being a recent grad and all. Is life always this hard? //End rant.

Day 5 of my twelve days of cookies: So what do I do when I’m in a bad/frustrated mood? Bake! These cookies come from the blog Delish, who adapted it from America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, 2006. I adapted it just a bit further by chilling the dough and changing some of the techniques. The cookie dough is seriously amazing and the cookies turn out soft, chewy, and fluffy. I got into the Christmas spirit and busted out my holiday sprinkles to decorate them before tossing them into the oven. The cookie itself didn’t end up tasting like the dough (Bummer!) but they still tasted good. It’s a simple cookie that’ll surely please the crowds.

2 cups granulated sugar*
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
14 Tbsp (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs

Spread 1/2 cup of the sugar* in a shallow dish for coating and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.

Beat the butter and remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar together in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-6 minutes. Beat in the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time, until combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl & beaters as needed.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly mix in the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. Give the dough a final stir with a rubber spatula to make sure dough is combined. Refrigerate dough for at least an hour.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350°F. Using palms, roll 2 Tablespoons of dough at a time into balls, then roll in sugar to coat. Place balls on baking sheets, spaced 2 inches apart.

Bake cookies, one sheet at a time, until the edges are set and just beginning to brown but the centers are still soft and puffy, 10-12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking. Allow cookies to cook on baking sheet for 10 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.