Sugar
Cookies are a sweet and tender cookie that has wonderfully
crisp edges. They are the perfect Easter cookie and look so pretty when
made into bunny shapes and frosted with Royal Icing.
Royal Icing dries to a
smooth and hard matte finish. It can be made two ways; with powdered
sugar, egg whites and lemon juice or with powdered sugar, meringue powder,
and water. I prefer the taste of royal icing made with egg whites, but if
you are concerned about the risk of salmonella, you might want to use the
meringue powder. Meringue powder is a fine, white powder that contains
dried egg whites, sugar, salt, vanillin and gum. It can be found at most
cake decorating and party stores or else on-line.
Now, let's talk about
which type of food coloring to use. Personally, I like the concentrated
gel paste dyes that are sold in small 1/2 or one ounce (14 - 28 grams)
containers. Only a very small amount is needed to color the icing, and I
measure it out using the end of a toothpick. Make sure to thoroughly mix
the paste into the icing as you do not want streaks. You can buy gel
pastes at cake decorating stores or stores like Michael's.
It is important to bake
these cookies until the edges are brown, especially if you are going to
frost them with royal icing as you do not want the icing to soften the
cookies during storing. Also make sure the baked cookies have completely
cooled before spreading with the royal icing.
For Sugar Cookies:
In a separate bowl
whisk together the flour,
salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
In the bowl of your electric mixer
(or with a hand mixer),
beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy
(about 3 to 4 minutes). Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until
combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until you have a smooth
dough.
Divide the dough in half
and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about one hour or until firm enough to roll.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177
degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets
with parchment paper.
Remove one half of the
chilled dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out
the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch (1 cm). (Keep turning
the dough as you roll, making sure the dough does not stick to the counter.)
Cut out Easter bunny or egg shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter and transfer
cookies to the
prepared baking sheet. Place the baking sheets with the unbaked cookies
in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes to chill the dough which prevents the
cookies from spreading and losing their shape while baking.
Note: If you are not
going to frost the baked cookies, you may want to sprinkle the unbaked cookies
with colored crystal or sparkling sugar.
Bake cookies for about 10 minutes
(depending on size) or until they are brown around the edges. Remove from oven and let
the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire
rack to finish cooling. Frost with royal icing, if desired. Be sure to let the
royal icing dry completely before storing. (This may take several hours.)
Frosted cookies will keep several days in an airtight container. Store between layers of parchment
paper or wax paper.
Makes about 36 - 4 inch
(10 cm) cookies.
For Royal Icing with Egg
Whites: In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer),
beat the egg whites with the lemon juice. Add the sifted powdered sugar
and beat on low speed until combined and smooth. Add coloring. The icing needs to be used
immediately or transferred to an airtight container as royal icing hardens when
exposed to air. Cover with plastic wrap when not in use.
For Royal Icing with Meringue
Powder: In the bowl of your electric mixer (or
with a hand mixer), beat
the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder until combined. Add the water and
beat on medium to high speed until very glossy and stiff peaks form (5 to 7
minutes). If necessary, to get the right consistency, add more powdered
sugar or water. Add coloring. To cover or 'flood' the entire surface of the
cookie with icing, the proper consistency is when you lift the beater, the
ribbon of icing that falls back into the bowl remains on the surface of the
icing for a few seconds before disappearing.
The icing needs to be used
immediately or transferred to an airtight container as royal icing hardens when
exposed to air. Cover with plastic wrap when not in use.
Makes about 3 cups
Pappas, Lou Seibert. 'the Christmas
Cookie Book'. Chronicle Books. New York: 2000.
Yard, Sherry. 'The Secrets of
Baking'. Houghton Mifflin Company. New York: 2003.
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