This is a busy time of the year in the kitchen. Are you prepared this holiday season to protect your home against fire? We’re talking about our favorite cut-out sugar cookies and fire prevention with First Alert today!
Thank you First Alert for sponsoring this post. October is Fire Prevention Month – practice safety in numbers to ensure your family’s super prepared too!
This past week Charlie and I got busy in the kitchen and whipped up some of our favorite sugar cookies. This is one of my favorite times of the year to be in the kitchen. A couple of years ago we started the tradition of making cut out sugar cookies with each new season. It’s especially fun in the fall and winter seasons. It’s also especially important that your home and family are protected against possible fires. It’s October which means it’s fire prevention month and it is all about raising awareness of fire safely and how to prep your loved ones in case of an emergency. I couldn’t think of a better time to prep our little one on fire safety!
So many of us will be in our kitchens cooking a little extra these next few months. Did you know that the number one cause of house fires is due to unattended cooking? This is the time to remind our loved ones to pay attention and to stay safe. Last week Josh made his way to each level of our home and tested each of our First Alert smoke and Carbon Monoxide detectors. 3 of 5 fire deaths have occurred in homes that are lacking smoke detectors. In fact, over 100 million homes lack any kind of smoke detector at all! These detectors are extremely affordable and available at most home improvement stores. This is the time to get your home protected and or maintain the detectors you already have.
One of the first things you can do with your little ones is to create an escape plan in case of a fire. Charlie’s five now and all about having a plan. He thought it was quite fun coming up with an exit plan for our home. It’s simple and it only takes a few minutes to prep your loved ones.
While Josh tested each detector, Charlie and I whipped up a batch of our favorite sugar cookies. Here’s the recipe we look forward to every year –
Our Favorite Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Butter, softened
- 1 cup Sugar
- 2 Lg. Eggs
- 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
- 1 tsp. Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
- 2 1/2 cups Soft Wheat Flour or All-Purpose
Vanilla Frosting
- 1/4 cup Butter
- 1 1/2 cups Confectioners Sugar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. Milk
- 1/2 Tbsp. Vanilla
Instructions
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Using a mixer, beat the butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add each egg one at a time until incorporated. Mix in vanilla.
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Shift your flour into a separate bowl. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together. Slowly add to the butter mixture with your mixer on low to medium speed. Mix until completely combined.
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Turn dough onto a floured surface and roll into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for at least an hour or more to chill.
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Taking small portions of the dough at a time, roll flat on a floured surface until about 1/4" thick. Dip your cutters in flour and cut out your cookies, placing them onto a cookie sheet.
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Bake for 6-8 minutes or until the bottoms are light golden brown. Place on a cookie sheet to completely cool.
Vanilla Frosting
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Beat the butter and confections sugar together until smooth. Add the milk and vanilla extract. Once incorporated, add in your food coloring of choice and mix until combined. *Note - We typically divide our frosting up into separate bowls according to how many colors we want and then mix each color in by hand.*
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Immediately frost each cookie. If they frosting becomes too thick, place it in the microwave for about 10 seconds or until workable again.
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Allow the frosting to set and then enjoy! These cookies keep for about two weeks in a sealed container. You can keep the uncooked dough in the fridge for a couple days before baking.
Remember, detectors have only an average life of 5 to 10 years. Be sure to check yours every 6 months because it just might be time to replace! Here’s our favorite First Alert smoke and carbon monoxide detector –
I hope you all have a wonderful fall and holiday season. I hope you’ll take the time to talk with your family and make the steps to keep your home safe. It only takes a few minutes. Happy Baking!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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