Shelly's Recipe

DECORATED CUT-OUT COOKIES

Category: Cookies

For the sugar cookie base dough
3 cups (12 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) superfine sugar
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
1/8 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar

Combine flour, salt, baking soda and cream of tartar in a mixing bowl. Set aside.

Put butter in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle. Begin beating on low speed. Increase speed to medium and beat about 3 minutes, or until very light and smooth. Add the superfine sugar, 1/4 cup at a time. When all of the sugar has been added, beat 2 minutes.

Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition. Add vanilla and continue to beat for 1 minute. With the motor running, add half of the flour mixture, followed by the milk. When blended, add the remaining flour and beat to just barely blended. While dough is still streaky, remove bowl from mixer and scrape paddle clean. Lightly flour a clean flat work surface.

Scrape dough onto floured surface. Lightly flour your hands and finish mixing the dough by using a gentle kneading motion, working until dough is just blended. Do not overwork the dough; you want to be certain that all the ingredients are just blended together. Form the dough into a disk and cover tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 3 days) or until firm.

Line 2 baking sheets with nonstick silicone baking mats or parchment paper (alternately use nonstick baking sheets or lightly butter conventional baking sheets). Set aside.

Remove dough from refrigerator and unwrap. Lightly flour a clean, flat work surface. Place dough in the center of floured surface. Roll dough out into a piece about 1/4 inch thick. Using cookie cutters, cut the dough into desired shapes.

At this point, if not using icing, the cookies may be decorated with sanding sugar or candies, if desired. Place cookies about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Place baking sheets in refrigerator to set for 1 hour before baking.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake cookies about 8 minutes, or just until barely brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and using a metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.

If using Royal Icing (recipe below), let cookies cool completely, decorate with the icing, sugar and/or candies as desired. Store, airtight, at room temperature up to 1 week or in the freezer up to a month.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Note: To make your own superfine sugar, process regular sugar in a food processor until powdery.

Royal Icing
5 tablespoons meringue powder
1/2 cup minus 2 tablespoons water
4 1/2 cups (1 pound) confectioners sugar, sifted
Food coloring (optional)

Combine meringue powder, water and confectioners sugar in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle. Begin mixing on low speed to combine. When blended, increase speed to medium and continue to beat about 5 minutes, or until icing begins to form stiff peaks. If desired, divide icing into small amounts and stir a different shade of food coloring into each. (If not using immediately, cover bowl with a damp, clean kitchen towel to prevent it from drying out.)

By adding more or less confectioners sugar, the icing can be adjusted for different decorating needs. If you want the icing runny enough to easily cover the entire top of the cookie, use less confectioners sugar. If you wish to use a pastry bag to pipe outlines or other fine details, add a little more confectioners sugar to thicken the icing so that the details will be stiff enough to hold their shape.

Makes about 21/2 or more cups.

Note: Meringue powder can be purchased at cake and candy supply stores and some craft stores.