One thing that my sister, Emily, and I have become infamous for during every family get together or any event amongst friends, or really anything we have relevant cookie-cutters for, is sugar cookies! What always seems like a good idea at first turns into a begrudged bitch-fest at 2 am the night before I have to have the cookies done by, but can't seem to satisfy my OCD need to have every cookie look perfect. Despite a sore back and the desire to never decorate another cookie in my life, the final outcome of such hard work has changed my mind every time...I always revert to the ol' faithful sugar cookie with royal icing decoration for almost every event.
The Cookies
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| 2012 New Years Cookies |
1 cup sugar
1 egg
3 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
In a medium bowl, sift together flour and baking powder; set aside. With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Add egg, beat until incorporated. Slowly add the flour mixture, scraping the sides of the bowl until all is combined. Split dough into 2-3 discs. Cover each in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour (sometimes I like to make the dough a day or two ahead so there is less dishes to do on baking-day!).
When you're ready to bake your cookies, remove dough from fridge. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Use your palms to warm up the edges of the disc so the dough doesn't split when you roll it. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface and cut out using your selected cookie cutters. Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until edges are just starting to turn a golden color. Remove and cool completely before frosting.
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| Superbowl, 2012 |
Royal Icing
3-8 cups Powdered Sugar
1-3 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla or lemon juice
It's hard for me to give exact amounts when I talk about making royal icing....I usually make it depending on how many cookies I've made or how many different colors I need. I start by beating my egg whites until they're fluffy and a little frothy, then add in the lemon juice (I usually use this instead of vanilla but both work fine). THEN I'll add in powdered sugar gradually until I get the right consistency (royal icing should be viscous but still hold it's form. Too runny and you won't be able to do any fancy decorating, too thick and your cookies will look lumpy and won't dry pretty). When you're decorating with royal icing, make sure you let each layer dry completely before adding more on top of it, otherwise your colors will bleed!
This is our assortment of Christmas cookies that Emily and I did for 2011. Hard to see up close but this was a 2-am night of decorating and we were DONE with cookies at this point.
Thanksgiving 2011 cookies -
what better excuse to use my
turkey cookie cutter!
These Halloween cookies dubbed me the "cookie-nazi" courtesy of Laura because she got icing on the edge, which ultimately got her shafted from decorating duty. Sorry Laura :)
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