A Fortuitous Cookie surprise with a basic sugar cookie dough and gumdrops!

Gumdrop Cookies

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened (I used 3/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup butter flavored shortening) (shortening not pictured)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups quartered gumdrops, divided

Preheat oven to 350.  Sift or stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Cream together butter and sugar.  Blend egg and vanilla into creamed mixture.  Add flour mixture just until blended. Dough will be a little on the dry side but should still stay together when squeezed into a ball shape and not start crumbling.  If it starts crumbling then add a little milk.  Stir in 3/4 cup of the quartered gumdrops. 

(Secret step:  Let dough rest in fridge in plastic bag for 2-4 days before baking.   Bring dough back to room temperature before forming into balls.  This lets the gumdrops mellow and soften and the dough puffs up more when baking. This makes them a great refrigerator cookie.) 

Place in 1-inch balls on ungreased cookie sheet and smash each ball down gently with a glass.  Place 1-3 more pieces of gumdrop onto the top of each cookie.   Bake for 9-11 minutes or until cookies are set and lightly browning on bottom and/or edges.  Cool a few minutes on the cookie sheet to let the cookies set up a bit and then move to a cooling rack to cool completely.