Sweet Swimmers

After awaking to a chilly seven degrees, it was a treat to see the temperature rise to a balmy twenty. It was a clear, bright day - good walking weather. So off to the lake I went for a stroll. It was my official good-bye to summer; fall arrives on Friday.

As I walked along the lake I was reminded of all the outdoor activities that will either move indoor, or shelved until summer roles back around. Naturally, swimming came to mind, and since I recently purchased a set of sports cookie cutters I thought I would bake up a batch and make a splash.

Unfortunately, I was so immersed in my sewing, my cookies turned out a little on the crumbly, burnt side and my flooding technique, well you will see for yourself...

 Ready to roll...

Cookie dough art

I don't expect my athletes will emerge with any medals - I only see my swimsuits hindering their performance. BTW - they were still delish! Below is the recipe I used for these cookies.

Sugar Cookies (adapted from allrecipes.com) 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

2 cups white sugar

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.