Kool-Aid Cookies

Yesterday I read a book from start to finish--mostly during naptime, but a little bit after the kids were in bed for the night. It the latests from a fun series by Joanne Fluke, the Hannah Swensen Mysteries. Each book in the series has a handful of recipes sprinkled throughout the book, since the main character, Hannah, is the owner of a cookie shop. I've collected several of these books and checked the rest out from our local library. If you're looking for a fun read with a mysterious twist, I'd definitely recommend this series. This book, Apple Turnover Murder, had several recipes that I'm hoping to try. Today, I tried a fun cookie recipe, they call them Watermelon Cookies, but I'm adapting them. The watermelon flavor that the title they use refers to comes from Kool-Aid and I only had one packet of Kool-Aid on hand--Strawberry Kiwi. I plan to try these again with various flavors of Kool-Aid, so I decided to change the name. :) Here's their recipe, then I add a few comments at the end.

Kool-Aid Cookies (Watermelon Cookies)

Ingredients:

1 package (.17 oz) of Kool-Aid powder (the kind w/out the sugar added)
1 and 2/3 cup white sugar
1 and 1/4 cups softened butter (2 and 1/4 sticks)
2 large eggs, beaten (w/ a fork is fine)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
3 cups of all-purpose flour (pack it down when you measure it)

1/2 cup white sugar in a bowl

1. Mix the Kool-Aid with the white sugar
2. Add the softened butter and mix until it's fluffy
3. Add the eggs and mix well
4. Mix in the salt and baking soda and make sure they're well incorporated
5. Add the flour in half cup increments, mixing after each addition
6. Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray or use parchment paper
*7. Roll dough balls one inch in diameter using your hands (or a cookie scoop about 2 tsp. size works well)
8. Roll the dough balls in the white sugar and place them on baking sheet
9. Bake at 325F for 10-12 minutes or until they're just beginning to turn golden around the edges--you don't want to overbake.
10. Let them cool on the cookie sheet for 1-3 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Yields approx. 6 dozen cookies

* These can be made into cutout cookies at this step.

Just a couple notes:
~ I left mine on the cookie sheet to cool and they were fine.
~ I like my Kool-Aid a little strong and think these might be even better (although they are good, don't misunderstand!) if they had just a bit more of the Kool-Aid mix. Next time, I'm thinking of halving the recipe (6 dozen cookies is a lot!) but adding more than half of the Kool-Aid packet. I'll let you know how it turns out. :)

Recipe adapted from Joanne Fluke's Apple Turnover Murder, check her out at www.MurderSheBaked.com