Snowflake Cookies - Let The Baking Begin

I’m not a gift giver. I swear I’ve never seen anybody wear or use anything I ever gave to them. I’m also not one who likes to get gifts either. I much more appreciate the gift of a greeting card where someone has written something personal to me, or if someone gives me something handmade. I appreciate their time and effort much more than a wool scarf from Macy’s.

Now that Thanksgiving is over, “the holiday season” is in full swing. So, since I’m not a gift-giver, how do I show those around me how much they mean to me at this jolly time of year? With cookies of course. The next few weeks will be filled with rolling, kneading, baking, boxing, sprinkling, and a lot of sugar. Yeah, sugar.

These snowflake cookies are my all-time favorite, they’re quite festive. It’s a great butter cookie recipe even if you decide not to decorate them with the royal icing. Anyway, I would love to stay and chat, but my cookies await!

Snowflake Cookies

Sweet Moon Confections

• 2 sticks butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla.  In another bowl, stir flour, baking powder and salt, then add to the butter mixture and mix well.
2. Gather dough and knead for a minute.
3. Divide dough into two pieces. Place one piece in between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll it out to about 1/4″ thick, then place the dough (on the paper) in the refrigerator. Repeat with the other piece. Refrigerate for about an hour.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
5. Cut refrigerated dough into snowflake shapes. Bake on un-greased baking sheet for 10 to 12 minutes or until just beginning to brown on the edges.

Royal Icing

• 2 level tablespoons meringue powder
• 3 tablespoons lukewarm water
• 2 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients. Beat 7 to 10 minutes at low-medium speed with electric mixer, or 10 to 12 minutes with hand-held mixer.
2. To prevent drying, cover the bowl with a damp cloth while working with icing.
3. To reuse, beat the icing to restore original texture.
4. The icing will be very stiff after mixing. You want to thin down the icing to use for outlining the edges of the cookies.  Add a couple of drops of water to about 1/2 cup icing and stir slowly to incorporate the water. (Stirring quickly will create air pockets). The right consistency for outlining is when the spatula is lifted from the icing and the peak formed bends slightly. Use a very small round opening tip for the pastry bag to outline. Let outline dry. You will use this icing to also pipe the detail on the cookie.
5. To thin down the rest of the  icing to be used for flooding, add a very small amount of water at a time, stirring slowly until the water is incorporated. To test for consistency, lift the spatula and let the icing drip back into the bowl. If the dripped icing smooths back into the rest of the icing, then the consistency is ready for filling.
6. After “flooding” the cookies, let them dry. When they’re dry you can pipe on the detail designs.

Recipe: Intermediate

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