Ok this is my very first time ever making these kinds of cookies and I guess I was a little overly excited but I messed up and need some help!!!!

Ok first here is the recipe I used:

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1-cup superfine sugar, or granulated sugar processed in food processor for 30 seconds

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg, plus 1 yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface


Either by hand or with electric mixer, cream butter, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes with mixer set at medium speed. Add yolk, beat well, then add whole egg and vanilla; continue beating until well incorporated. Add flour; beat at low speed until flour is just mixed in. Divide dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour. (Can be refrigerated up to 2 days or double-wrapped and frozen for 1 month).


Now what I did, I couldn't find UNsalted butter last night so I ended up having to get salted butter so I used that and omitted the salt called for in the recipe. Also... I got a little ahead of myself and I forgot to add the vanilla.... How darn important is the vanilla? Is it too late to add it now? It's fully mixed, and resting in the fridge... I don't plan on making these cookies until saturday and was directed to put it in the freezer until then....

Is it too late to add the vanilla right now???

Thanks in advance!!!
Becky

I would try and add the vanilla.....that's just me. I am sure they will be okay. Best of luck!

They'll be disapointing without vanilla....

I know but is it too late now that it's completely done? Should I just throw it out and start over? I'd hate to waste it but if it won't act right by adding the vanilla now then I have no choice lol....

Depending on how you plan to decorate the cookies, you could brush a little vanilla on top before baking them. If you are going to ice the cookies, add a little vanilla to the icing and you won't notice that it is missing from the cookie.

I would add the vanilla now. I know that Sandra Lee sometimes buys premade cookie dough (the roll) and adds flavoring to it. She'll form the dough into a ball and make a little bowl in the center. Add a few drops of vanilla flavoring or whatever she is using in the indentation and then knead the dough to mix the flavor in good. HTH

Don't know if it would work, but I don't see why not either. I'd try defrosting the dough and putting it back into the mixing bowl and adding the vanilla. Then you can refrigerate it for a couple of days.

I wouldn't add the vanilla now... you'll have to really mix it in - which will only make your cookies tough. I would just add a little extra to the icing.

I would add it. Like 2Cupcakes said.... the semi-homemade lady adds it all the time to pre-made sugar cookie dough... it should work.

Thank you all for your ideas! I'm going to go ahead and make a second batch... just incase... and I'm going to bring this back to room temperature and knead it in by hand and see if that'll work...

Saturday I'll make one with these and see if it'll work and if it tastes nasty or is too hard or something I'll trash it lol if not I've got extras!

The more you mix flour - the more gluten is developed. Do you really want "tough cookies"?LOL!

I would add some! I often make the dough and when its done i decide it smells to flour-y (?). I dump a bit more in and mix with my hands. (ya know, squish it around a bit!)

Another really good idea! I don't know about you, but if i was making monkey cookies (i assume these are the ones you mentioned in the other thread?), I would probably add some banana flavor to the icing! Then when someone bites into one they'll be like "WOW! pretty cookies with great icing!" (i'm very big on flavoring... i like to experiment!) I used the banana flavor in Tobas glace one time and everyone loved them! but just a touch extra vanilla would be great too!

If i were you, i might try to add the vanilla now and then take a small handful of dough and roll it into a ball, roll the ball flat, and bake it by itself. It would only take a few minutes and then you can decide for yourself if they're up to par!

Good luck, and don't forget to post pictures of the little monkeys!

Gluten development, as Brandi said, is a huge issue with this kind of cookie, they'll not only be tough, but will not be as easy to shape or hold their shape.

I'm assuming they are a cut-out cookie?? If so, adjust your frosting up a notch, it won't completely take away the lack of vanilla, but will add to the flavor. If they're drop cookies roll in some sugar with dried lemon peel, or cinnamon...etc.

IMHO, what Sandra Lee does with pre-made dough and what can be done with homemade dough, sans all the preservatives and stabilizers in the pre-made are like tomatoes and peppers... they both grow in the garden and the similarity stops there.

Well I waited and now I'm fixin to head out to the kitchen... I think I'll just trash it and start over I don't want hard cookies because these may be the beginning or the end of my cookie party of my business lol...

Yes we're planning on icing them with royal icing, a local CC'er is helping me and said she has a great recipe that dries hard enough to package them but stays soft to bite into... But I'm thinking I'll just start over... it's not like I have anything better to do today lol

Just make them and see what they taste like! Maybe they will be good! Especially if the dough is already ready!

One time I forgot to put in half the butter in NFSC and so I added it at the end! They made a very tasty shortbread like cookie! I think i am going to try it again and see if it is dependable to do it that way!

Don't through it out!!! ACK!! (If this is the start of business, you need to learn to control wastage)

That dough can still be used for something. If not the cookies, you can still bake it in a tart tin for tarts - or bake it all, pulse it in a food processor and use as an alternative to graham crackers in cheesecakes. So many alternatives...

Sorry... just the thought of throwing food out freaks me out.

Can you tell?

I'm with you girlfriend. My first thought was a nice fruit pizza crust! I never throw anything out!

All stale bread, crackers, chips and unsweetened cereal gets tossed into the food processor here and turned into crumbs and tossed into the freezer. I use them for countless things and never have to buy crumbs! Just one of my thrifty things!

I'm a hawk when it comes to watching the bottom line.

Ok well right before the site went down for maint... I ran out and grabbed the STILL WRAPPED AND BAGGED dough from the EMPTY trash bag and put it into a fresh clean bag and put it back in the freezer.

I had to run to the pharmacy and now I'm back... I went and made a whole new batch for the cookies, adding the 2 tsp of vanilla to the egg before adding it to the mix so I knew it was there! lol. It smells sooooooooooooooooooooo good!!!! lol. It didn't smell like that before lmfao duh! cause I forgot the vanilla lmao.

Anyway I wanted to thank you all for your advise! And Brandi please continue... what can I use this possibly icky tasting dough for now???

It's got:

2 sticks salted butter
1-cup sugar
1 large egg, plus 1 yolk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

in it.... so what can I use that for? lol. Recipes are welcome! lol

Roll it thin and bake it in a pie dish like a crust, add in pudding and whip cream and you have yourself a yummy pie with a cookie crust. =) Trust me it shouldn't taste yucky, especially if you add frosting with some extra vanilla in it if you want to make them into cookies for your family. Like Laura I think it was said, you can make them into tarts, cook them up and then make crumbs out of them for a crumb crust later on. Let your kids make their own cookies out of it, since it isn't for anything. The kids will have fun and if they are yucky tasting you still will have a treasured memory of doing something fun with them.

I always use leftovers for practicing new techniques, making samples of new designs, etc. Butter is too expensive to just throw it out!

Well I saved it... it's in the freezer. That pudding pie sounds delicious!!! I may just treat them to a special treat this weekend IF she acts like she has some sense and stops talkin back lol

Man sometimes I wonder whos kid she is lol. She's got the worst attitude and the worst mouth... yells screams throws fits of rage and then when I get fed up to the point of not caring anymore (or at least acting like I don't lol) she wants to cry and hug and say she's sorry lol. She just slipped and fell to her bottom cause she was jumping off the steps, something we've told her a million times not to do, and she screamed "fine don't ask if I'm alright" I simply said "It's not that I don't care because I'm your mommy I love you and I'll always care about you, it's just right now... I just don't give a darn because you treat me and daddy like trash and expect us to bend over backwards and give you everything you ask for" she starts crying and wanting hugs and saying she's sorry lol... then goes to school comes home and starts all over again lol.... She's got ADHD really bad and unless she's had her medicine she's unbareable lol

o hun, I hear ya, I have two teenagers one with ADD (who wants to be a marine) and one with ADHD and ODD (oppositional defiant disorder). So I know what you are having to deal with and especially if it's a girl OMG that is ten times worse than if it's a boy.
But if it's any consolation, people with ADHD or ADD have higher IQ's and if they've learned to live with it, become some of our societies most active members. It's a good thing but goin through that age, OMG ya just wanna choke em sometimes (we refrain though cause we love em, but yeah, I gotcha hun )

lol Chaptlps. Thanks for understand and relating without screaming at me for being a bad parent lol.

My 3 step children also have ADHD... 2 are boys 1 girl so we have 2 boys 2 girls with it and all ranging in age... 15, 13, 11, 8... boy boy girl girl lol... The 15 yr old has just about out grown his... he can be a little active and mischievious when he doesn't have his pills but when he does take them he doesn't eat but he's never been bad for us... we took him to Kings Dominon and he didn't take his pills because he wanted to be able to eat lunch that day and he was still very well behaved lol. My lil one on the other hand.... she misses her pill or is late getting it... OMG! lol Glad there are other parents out there that can relate lol.

My nephew has it bad too lol 2 of 3 of them... the oldest is just acting out because he's at that age - no meds are gonna help him lol. But the 8 yr old... omg! he's horrible... worse then my daughter without his pills lol.