Holidays require sugar cookies, and I love them. I like them to be a little thicker so they are chewy in the middle and still crisp on the edges. My very favorite cookie is a good snickerdoodle but sugar cookies are in the running for the top 5. This year we kept our decorations simple with lots of sprinkles. Sprinkles are the glitter of the food world. I am not a master piper just yet. I keep telling myself that if I practice it will get
Ingredients
Cookie
2 1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup salted butter at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large eff
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Whisk flour and baking powder and set aside (let's be honest, I often do this in the bowl when I add the flour to save the extra bowl, but when the kid helps I do a second bowl so he has more scooping/pouring options.
In the mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until completely smooth and creamy, at least 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, almond, and beat on high 1 additional minute. Scrape at least twice and keep beating to ensure it is well combined.
Add the flour with the mixer on low low. It will be a soft dough but should not be sticky. If it is sticky add a touch more flour. Divide the dough in half and chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prep your baking sheets with parchment or silpat. Roll out the cookies and cut with cutters to your hearts desire. If needed use a little flour to keep the rolling pin from sticking, try not to add too much or when you re-roll the scraps the cookies will be tough.
Arrange on the prepared baking sheets with a little space between, they won't spread much and bake 10-11 minutes until the edges are just barely browned. I rotate halfway through baking too as our oven is not totally even in her baking. If your cutters are all the sizes, bake the larger ones together, medium ones together and so on. If you bake tiny with large then they won't all be done at the same time.
Transfer to a wire rack for the cooling party. While the cookies cool, make the icing.
Icing
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons meringue powder
3/4 cup + room temperature water
Add the powdered sugar, meringue powder, and most of the water to the bowl of a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on high (start slow and build up unless you want a sugar storm) for 1-2 minutes. Add more water if needed to adjust the consistency. I am not a consistency master yet, that goes with the piping thing. There are a number of different consistencies used for decorating and I went down a rabbit hole and then talked myself out of trying to make them. We will add it to the list. I went with a normal, drizzles down into the bowl and smooths out by time I count to 10 for these cookies. If you add too much water, then add more sugar to adjust. You can also flavor with a few drops of extract in the water if you prefer.
Pipe or smear or dip as you prefer. They do dry in a few hours so if sprinkling do that in the 30 minutes after piping for best stick. YUM.
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