 |
Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes |
Ready In: 30 Minutes Servings: 36 |
|
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened |
1 cup confectioners' sugar |
1 egg |
1 teaspoon vanilla extract |
1/2 to 1 teaspoon almond extract |
2-1/2 cups king arthur unbleached all-purpose flour |
1/2 teaspoon salt |
royal icing: |
2 pounds confectioners' sugar |
6 tablespoons meringue powder |
3/4 cup warm water |
sky blue gel food coloring |
white edible glitter and superfine sugar |
ribbon |
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extracts. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well.
2. Divide dough into fourths. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until easy to handle.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one portion to 1/8-in. thickness. (Refrigerate other portions until ready to use.) Using a variety of sizes of floured snowflake cookie cutters, cut out snowflakes.
4. Carefully place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Using small decorating cutters, cut out desired shapes to create designs in some of the snowflakes. Use a toothpick to help remove the cutouts. With a plastic straw, poke a hole in the top of each small cookie.
5. Bake medium and large snowflakes at 375° for 6-1/2 to 7 minutes and small snowflakes for 6 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Repeat with remaining dough.
6. For royal icing, in a large bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder. Add warm water; beat on low speed for 1 minute. Beat on high for 4-5 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Tint half blue. Leave remaining icing white; cover and set aside.
7. With blue icing and a round tip, outline half of the cookies; fill in centers with blue icing and let dry completely. With white icing and a round tip, outline each blue-colored cookie and create snowflake designs. Let dry completely.
8. On the remaining cookies, repeat process using white icing on white frosted cookies. Thread a ribbon through the hole in each small snowflake and through the cutout in each medium and large snowflake. Yield: about 3 dozen.
|
|