Cookie Powered Sugar Icing

This is my go to icing for sugar cookies. 

 

Cookie Corn Syrup Glaze

Recipe by Sweet Hope Cookies

Ingredients:

1 pound box of powdered sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

a scant 1/4 cup water (scant means “just less than”)

2 teaspoons more or less of extract, flavoring, or emulsion depending on the flavor and your preference. I use ½ t vanilla extract and 1 ½ t almond extract.

Coloring gel. I primarily use Americolor.

Directions:

Pour the powdered sugar into your standing mixer bowl. Don’t bother to sift the sugar. If you don’t have a standing mixer use a big bowl and electric hand mixer. If you don’t have an electric hand mixer use a heavy wooden spoon and those lean muscled arms of yours.

Add corn syrup, flavorings, and water.

Using the beater blade attachment (not the whisk) mix the ingredients until smooth on the lowest setting for at least one minute. Add additional water a half to one teaspoon at a time until the glaze has reached the consistency you want.

The consistency of icing is often described as being a specific second count, meaning the number of seconds it takes from the time you run a knife through the top of the icing until the trail the knife made on the surface disappears. Because the color gel remains to be added which will thin the icing to varying degrees depending on how much color you add, I typically aim for a 15-18 second count as I would rather add a little more water to thin than add additional powdered sugar to thicken after the gel has been added.

Before dividing and coloring the icing I mix a couple drops of white gel into the entire batch. Just a little white gel rounds out any other color you’ll add later.

Now divide the icing into as many containers as you need colors and cover with air tight lids. Color one container of icing at a time, adding the coloring gel drop by drop. Keep in mind that the colors will darken slightly over the next 24 hours and when they dry on the cookies.

When you have the desired color, check your second count again. I go for a 15-18 count for writing and detailing and 10-12 for outlining and flooding.

You can use the glaze right away but I suggest waiting for at least an hour, allowing time for some of the air bubbles to come to the surface which can then be gently stirred down before pouring into piping bags or bottles. This waiting time will reduce the amount of bubbles that show up when flooding the cookies. I normally make my icing 1 day before using it which allows it to rest.

Click here to print this recipe.

Snickerdoodles

I love a good snickerdoodle cookie.  I have used Paula Deen’s recipe from her first cookbook The Lady & Sons for years.  I ordered her cookbook off of QVC years ago before the days of the Food Network.  One of the few items I have ever purchased on QVC but then we digress.  Back to the light and delicious cookie.

Snickerdoodles

Recipe by Paula Deen

1 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cream of tarter

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Combine 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.

Cream shortening with sugar and eggs.

Sift together flour, cream of tarter, baking soda, and salt.  Combine with the egg mixture.

Chill dough thoroughly then roll into small balls (walnut size).  Roll balls in cinnamon sugar mixture.

Bake for 8-10 minutes on a ungreased baking sheet until lightly browned but still soft.

Enjoy!

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Royal Icing

Ok let’s be honest.  Royal icing is a necessary evil.  You need it for its consistency but most people do not like the taste.  For me taste is what it is all about so I doctor mine up to make it more flavorful. 

 

Royal Icing

recipe by Wilton

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons Meringue Powder

• 4 cups (about 1 lb.) confectioners' sugar

• 6 tablespoons warm water

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1/4 teaspoon almond flavoring

Makes:

About 3 cups of icing.

Step 1

Beat all ingredients until icing forms peaks (7-10 minutes at low speed with a heavy-duty mixer, 10-12 minutes at high speed with a hand-held mixer).

Step 2

NOTE: Keep all utensils completely grease-free for proper icing consistency.

* For stiffer icing, use 1 tablespoon less water.

**When using large countertop mixer or for stiffer icing, use 1 tablespoon less water.

Thinned Royal Icing: To thin for pouring, add 1 teaspoon water per cup of royal icing. Use grease-free spoon or spatula to stir slowly. Add 1/2 teaspoon water at a time until you reach proper consistency.

Decorator’s Icing

When I was a kid, my mother used to decorate cakes for others.  I loved her cakes.  This is her icing recipe that I grew up licking off the beater.  I use this icing on cakes and cookies. 

Mom’s Icing (aka Decorator’s Icing)

2 lb bag powdered sugar, sifted
1 cup shortening
1 teaspoon clear vanilla
1/8 teaspoon butter flavoring
1/2 cup water or more

Cream shortening with mixer until smooth.  Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time while the mixer is on lowest setting.  Add water as the mixture stiffens.  Add vanilla and butter flavorings.  Once all the powdered sugar is incorporated add water to reach desired consistency.  Ideally the icing should be smooth and creamy but maintain its shape.

Cut-out Sugar Cookies

This is my favorite sugar cookie recipe. 

 

Rolled Sugar Cookies

by Glorious Treats

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract
Parchment paper

Directions:

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  This should take about 3 minutes.

Add the egg and vanilla and beat another minute or so.

Add the flour mixture slowly.  (Be careful not to add too much at a time or you will have a snowstorm of flour.)

Blend until all of the flour is incorporated and the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
Take the dough out of the bowl and place it on a piece of parchment paper. 
Using your hands, knead the dough a few times.

Place the dough in a large plastic (ziplock type) bag and refrigerate for about 2 hours.  If you want to speed up the chilling process, place the bag of dough in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes. Just don't forget it in the freezer, or it will become to firm to work with (and then you'll have to wait for it to thaw). 

When it's almost time to remove the dough from the refrigerator (or freezer), preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). When the dough has chilled and is firm, take out about half of the dough, leaving the rest in the refrigerator (until your ready to work with it). 

Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the dough. Roll out the dough to about 1/3 of an inch thick. 

Place cookie shapes on a prepared baking sheet. Make sure to only put cookies of similar size on each bake sheet.  If you try to bake smaller cookies with larger ones the small ones will be over done before the large ones are baked. 

Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes depending on the size of the cookie.  Bake until they are just barely beginning to take on a golden tone.  They will continue to bake as long as then are on the pan, so don't let then get too brown.  Cool for just a minute or so on the pan, then carefully remove cookies from the baking sheet and place on a cooling rack. Once cooled, the cookies can be decorated with frosting, royal icing or rolled fondant.

This recipe yields about 30, 2 1/2 inch cookies or 16, 3 1/2 inch cookies.

Here are a few shots of the process:

I

I have been learning how to decorate sugar cookies.  Its so much fun. 

 

My little helper. 

Make sure to check out Glorious Treats blog.  She has great recipes and tips.

I also recommend University of Cookie for great cookie making/decorating videos.  There is also a list of cookie websites for lots of inspiration.  My current favorite is Sweet Sugar Belle.  Her work is beautiful!

Top Secret Chocolate Cookies

I started making this recipe last year at Christmas time. It is an absolutly delicious cookie.

by Paula Deen
Ingredients2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
White Sanding sugar, for garnish

Directions
In a large bowl, add the butter and sugar and cream together with a mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the creamed mixture and mix until combined.

In a medium bowl, mix the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients and continue mixing until incorporated.

Roll the dough into 2 logs that are about 2-inches high and 1-foot long. Wrap them in waxed paper and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Once thoroughly chilled, slice the cookies into 1/2-inch thick rounds and cover with sanding sugar. Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
Remove to a wire rack to cool.