Sugar Cookies

I made these cookies for my little one’s school Christmas party. Sugar cookies recipe adapted from Joy of Baking, I was a little skeptical of making Royal icing for these small kids because of the raw egg white it contains. Looked for an eggless cookie frosting and ended up in this beautiful blog with stunning cookie decorations. I made these cookies and decorations in a hurry, so I am not too pleased with the decoration. But the cookies and the icing are delicious and my little one loved it.

Sugar Cookies
(Recipe adapted from here)
Makes about 36 - 4 inch (10 cm) cookies
Ingredients:
3 cups (390 grams) all purpose flour 
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter room temperature

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Method:

• In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda.
• In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 to 4 minutes).
• Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
• Add the flour mixture and beat until you have a smooth dough.
• Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap.
• Refrigerate for about one hour or until firm enough to roll.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Remove one half of the chilled dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch (1 cm). (Keep turning the dough as you roll, making sure the dough does not stick to the counter.)
• Cut out desired shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter and transfer cookies to the prepared baking sheet.
• Place the baking sheets with the unbaked cookies in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes to chill the dough which prevents the cookies from spreading and losing their shape while baking.
• Bake cookies for about 8-10 minutes (depending on size) or until the edges are just starting to brown.
• Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
• Frost with icing / , if desired. Be sure to let the icing dry completely before storing. (This may take several hours.)
• Frosted cookies will keep several days in an airtight container. Store between layers of parchment paper or wax paper.

Sugar Cookie Frosting Recipe

(Adapted from here)

Ingredients:
1 cup Confectioners’ Sugar (powder sugar)
1 Tablespoon Milk
1 drop Lemon Juice (fresh or processed)
1 Tablespoon Light Corn Syrup

Method:

• Combine powder sugar, corn syrup, and lemon juice in a bowl.
• If you need a thicker frosting, say for outlining your cookies, add LESS milk. Just a drop at a time.
• If you have already outlined your cookies and need to fill in or ’spill’ your cookies, you can add more milk (as much as you would need) to make your frosting very runny.
• If you are using food coloring, be sure to use LESS milk. Most food colorings are liquid and can make your frosting more runny. If you are using a gel food coloring, your milk quantity can remain the same.
• If you want to add different flavors, you can add drops of vanilla extract, almond extract, lemon, etc. to flavor your frosting.
• If you want more SHINE, use more corn syrup and less milk.
• This frosting will stay good for days in the fridge.