Decorated Vanilla Sugar Cookies

 

We are doing a cookie swap (aka cookie exchange) at work.  I chose to make decorated sugar cookies. 

I was at Crate and Barrel a few weeks ago and picked up The Art of the Cookie cookbook. The book focuses mostly on decorating different types of cookies but does include several base recipes, one of which is for Vanilla Sugar Cookies. (There are some super cute cookie ideas in this book...I will have to find other opportunities to try out some of the other recipes.)

 

Below are the recipes for the cookies and the royal icing.  My cookies only took about 14 minutes to cook.  Also, for the icing I did not add any extract.  Overall, I think the cookies came out pretty well...yummy and look good.  I made a double batch of both the cookies and the icing.  I got about 35 cookies/batch (total of 70 cookies).  I had A LOT of leftover icing.  I thought the dough was very easy to make and was easy to roll out.  This will likely be my go-to sugar cookie recipe. 

Vanilla Sugar Cookies
Yield: about 30 cookies

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ¼ cups sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon heavy cream

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the 3 cups flour, baking powder, and salt.  Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed until the egg is completely incorporated. Beating on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture and continue to beat until almost incorporated. Add the cream and beat on low speed until just incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Press the dough into a rough rectangle, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or up to overnight.  (The dough can be wrapped well and frozen for up to 1 month.)

Preheat oven to 350°.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  On a lightly floured work surface, using a floured rolling pin, roll out the chilled dough until about ¼ inch thick.  Use cookie cutters or paring knife to cut into desired shape.  Transfer the cookies to the prepared sheet, spacing them 1 inch apart.  Press the dough scraps together, roll out, and cut out additional shapes.

Bake 1 sheet at a time until the cookies are lightly golden around the edges but the tops are barely colored, 16-19 minutes.  Let cook on sheets for 5 minutes.  Using a metal spatula, transfer to wire racks and let cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Decorate the cookies as desired. 

 

Royal Icing:

Yield: about 3 cups

Ingredients:

4 cups confectioner’s sugar
3 tablespoons meringue powder
½ teaspoon extract such as vanilla or almond (optional)

Directions:

Combine the sugar, meringue powder and ½ cup warm water, and the extract, if using.  Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat until the mixture is fluffy, yet dense, 7-8 minutes.

To thin the icing, use a rubber spatula to stir in additional warm water, 1 teaspoon at a time.  To test the consistency, drizzle a spoonful of icing into the bowl; a ribbon should remain on the surface for about 5 seconds.

Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.  Stir vigorously just before using.