12/18/2020
Guys, it’s my favorite Sugar Cookie recipe! Really, it’s not that hard to make to beautifully smooth icing! I hope you give these a try!
Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing
Cookies
1 C. butter, softened
1 C. powdered sugar
1 egg, beated
1 ½ tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. salt
2 ½ C. flour
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add in the egg and extracts and mix until smooth. Add salt and flour until forms into a dough ball. I recommend rolling out the dough immediately. If you chill the dough, it will be slighter drying and tougher to roll out. Roll out into 1/4 inch thickness and cut out with preferred cookie cutter shape. Bake 7-10 minutes depending on size of the cookie. Cookies are best if they are just cooked through and NOT golden. Golden results in a drier cookie, and that’s no good!
Icing
3 oz. warm water (6 tablespoons)
1 ½ Tbsp. merinque powder
½ tsp. cream of tartar
1 lb. powdered sugar
Whisk together the water and meringue power until dissolved. Stir in cream of tartar. Then, with a mixer, add in the powdered sugar. Mix on high, scraping down the sides of the bowl for about 3-4 minutes. Icing should be thick, but still pipeable. You can always add a teaspoon of water to thin out, but be careful. You need it to be thick to do the first step of outlining the cookies. It’s easier to add water but harder to make it thicker! Add any food color of divide up icing into separate bowls if making multiple colors. Pipe the edges of each cookie, preferably using a ketchup type bottle. Icing bags get messy with this icing since you will be thinning it out for the next step. Once icing edges are set (they don’t have to be fully dry), add a teaspoon of water at a time to the remaining icing to thin it out. Pour thinned icing into another ketchup bottle. The goal is to pour the loose icing into the center of the outlined cookies. It should spread out into the crevices and create a smooth surface. Use the tip of the bottle to coax any remaining icing into open nooks and crannies. Allow to dry overnight in the open air. Once dried, cookies can be stored and stacked in an airtight container.
