Coconut Pandan Flavoured (Screw Pine Flavoured) Soft Sugar Cookies

Coconut Pandan Flavoured (Screw Pine Flavoured) Soft Sugar Cookies

I have always wanted to make sugar cookies but never tried. Bought all sorts of sugar cookie presses but never get to use them. This is my first ever sugar cookies and they are surprisingly easy to make if not for paying too much attention on the shapes or using the press. I just used my hands and roll them into bite size balls and baked. They are all one-bite and I managed to make a whole lot from one batch! This recipe was adapted from Gemma Stafford's Bigger Bolder Baking. It was hard for me to buy pure Pandan essence; so I decided to make it myself and it turned out pretty good!

Utensils needed:-

Stand mixer (if you do not have one, you may use a hand held mixer)

Mixing bowls

Measuring cups and spoons

Spatulas

Cookie baking sheet

Parchment paper (I used reusable silicone mat)

Scrapper or a butter knife

Ingredients:-

3/4 cups unsalted butter at room temperature

3/4 cups less/minus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

3 teaspoons pure Pandan essence* (see below how to make your own pure Pandan essence)

2 large eggs at room temperature

2 1/4 cups flour

2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup coconut milk powder

1/4 cup skim milk powder

Green food colouring (optional)

Method:-

1. Measure and place butter and sugar into the mixing bowl. Turn on stand mixer and beat using the paddle attachment, until butter and sugar become light and fluffy.

2. Crack eggs into a small bowl. Add one egg at a time to the butter mixture and beat until egg is combined before adding the other. Repeat and beat until all eggs are combined into the butter mixture.

3.Add Pandan essence and beat until combined.

4. Add 4-5 drops of green food colouring if using, and beat until combined.

5. Measure all the dry ingredients, flour, baking powder, salt, coconut milk powder, skim milk powder, into a large bowl. Whisk gently to combine dry ingredients with a wire whisk.

6. Add all the dry ingredients to the butter mixture all at once.  Turn on mixer to slow speed to combine the dry and wet ingredients. Turn off mixer once the mixture turn into a dough.

7. Lightly flour your work surface and turn dough out onto the surface.

8. Gather the dough and gently pat into a thick round disc. If you wish, you can shape the dough into a round log. Wrap with plastic cling food wrap and place into a plastic bag to chill in the fridge for at least one day.

8. On the next day, preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Remove cookie dough from fridge. Divide into small equal bite size portions and roll in your palms into round globes.

9. Place onto a lined baking sheet leaving space between each cookie dough and bake cookies for 8-9 minutes until the cookies are firm to touch and bottom is slightly brown. Do not over bake!

10. Remove from oven. Let it cool for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight cookie tin and serve when desired.

Keeps for 4-5 days (if they are not gobbled up in a day)!

***Please make sure to chill dough in fridge for at least one day and form cookies when dough is still cold so that cookies will maintain their shape when baked.

*How to make Pandan essence

Ingredients:-

200 ml vodka (you may buy something in the medium price range) I used Absolut vodka from Sweden

6-7 pieces of pandanus leaves. 

Method:-

Wash thoroughly and air dry the pandanus (screw pine) leaves. Cut into 4-5 inches length per piece and stuff the leaves neatly into the bottle of vodka, making sure that all the leaves are submerged in the vodka. If bottle is overflowing, pour out some vodka into a cup and top the bottle up when all leaves have been stuffed into the bottle.

When the bottle is filled, screw the cap back on and secure tightly. Write the date on a sticker note and stick on to the bottle. Store in a cool and dark place. Let it sit for 6 weeks before using.