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Decorated Sugar Cookies — Dozen

Iced by hand for birthdays, holidays, showers. Simple designs at this price — detailed work quoted separately.

Makes

12 decorated cookies

Hands on

3 h

All in

24 h

Oven

175 °C (350 °F)

What you need

• 2¼ cups (560 ml)all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup (180 ml)butter, soft
• ¾ cup (180 ml)granulated sugar
• 1egg
• 1 tsp (5 ml)vanilla
• ¼ tsp (1 ml)salt
• 3 cups (750 ml)icing sugar — for the royal icing
• 3 tbsp (45 ml)meringue powder — for the royal icing
• 5–6 tbsp (75–90 ml)warm water — for the royal icing
• as neededgel food colour

How it goes

1. 1

   Beat the butter and sugar just until combined — 30 seconds, not four minutes. Air here means cookies that puff and lose their shape.

2. 2

   Add the egg and vanilla, then the flour and salt. Stop the moment it comes together.

3. 3

   Roll between two sheets of parchment to a scant ¼ inch, then refrigerate the rolled slab flat for an hour. Rolling first and chilling second is the trick — chilled dough fights you.

4. 4

   Cut your shapes, lift them onto a lined sheet, and freeze 10 minutes before they go in. Bake 9–11 minutes until the edges are just set and barely coloured.

5. 5

   Cool completely. Whisk the icing sugar, meringue powder and water to a stiff icing, then thin part of it with a few drops of water until a ribbon dropped on the surface disappears in about 15 seconds.

6. 6

   Outline each cookie with the stiff icing, let it set 20 minutes, then flood the middle with the thinner icing and nudge it to the edges with a toothpick.

7. 7

   Leave them somewhere dry and undisturbed overnight. Royal icing is not dry when it looks dry.

A couple of things

• This is the most patient thing on the menu. Three hours of work spread over two days, which is why it costs what it costs.
• Gel colour, never liquid — liquid thins the icing and the flood runs off the edge.

Contains : wheat, milk, eggs