Best Gaiety Pastel Cookies Recipes

Gaiety Pastel Cookies image

Provided by Linda Locke @Buttonluv

Categories Cookies

Number Of Ingredients 11

3 1/2 cup(s) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon(s) baking powder
1 1/2 cup(s) butter, softened (3sticks)
1 cup(s) sugar
1 package(s) gelatin, any flavor, reserve 1 tbsp. for glaze (small pkg)
1 - egg
1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
GLAZE
1 cup(s) powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
1 tablespoon(s) reserved gelatin dissolved in 1 tbsp. hot water

Steps:

Preheat oven to 400.
Mix flour and baking powder; set aside.
Beat butter in large mixing bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Gradually add sugar and 1 pkg. of dry gelatin minus 1 tbsp. for icing. Beat until light and fluffy.
Add egg and vanilla; mix well.
Gradually add flour mixture, beating until well blended.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place two inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
Flatten with the bottom of a clean glass.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes, watching carefully. Edges should turn slightly golden when the cookies are done.
Remove from baking sheets to wire racks and allow to cool completely.
For the glaze: mix together powdered sugar, vanilla, and reserved gelatin dissolved in hot water. Add more water one tablespoon at a time if needed to make the glaze liquid enough to drizzle.
Leave cookies on wire racks but put wax paper underneath to catch glaze. Using a spoon or measuring cup with spout, drizzle glaze on cookies in any fashion you like. A little glaze is just as good as a lot of glaze.

Pastel Butter Cookies image

Provided by Martha Stewart

Time 1h15m

Yield Makes 40

Number Of Ingredients 8

1 cup whole blanched almonds
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for pastel sugars
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Freeze-dried fruits in various colors, such as blueberries, raspberries, and mangoes

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread almonds on a rimmed baking sheet; toast until golden and fragrant, about 12 minutes. Let cool completely.
Transfer almonds to the bowl of a food processor; add flour, salt, and cinnamon. Process until nuts are finely chopped, about 1 minute.
Beat butter with confectioners' sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add vanilla; beat until combined. Slowly add almond mixture; beat on low until just incorporated.
Line baking sheets with parchment. Using a 1 1/2-inch (1-tablespoon) cookie scoop, drop dough onto prepared sheets. Bake, rotating halfway through, until edges are just turning golden, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer sheets to a wire rack; let cool completely.
For each desired color, place 1/2 cup fruit with 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar in food processor; blend until smooth and evenly tinted. (Sugars can be stored in airtight containers up to 1 month.) Sift tinted sugar over cookies as desired. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

Pastel Butter Cookies image

Provided by the editors of Martha Stewart Living

Yield Makes 40

Number Of Ingredients 8

1 cup whole blanched almonds, toasted
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon coarse salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted, plus 1/2 cup per tinted sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Freeze-dried fruits in various colors, such as blueberries, raspberries, and mangoes

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place toasted almonds in the bowl of a food processor. Add flour, salt, and cinnamon, and process until nuts are finely ground, about 1 minute.
In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer on medium, beat butter and 1 cup confectioners' sugar until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add vanilla and beat until combined. With mixer on low, gradually add almond mixture and beat until just incorporated.
Using a 1 1/2‑inch (1‑tablespoon) cookie scoop, drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are just golden, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks and let cool completely.
For each desired color, place 1/2 cup fruit with 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a food processor; process until smooth and evenly tinted. (Sugars can be stored in airtight containers up to 1 month.) Place tinted sugars in small bowls and dip cookies, domed-side down, into tinted sugars to coat. Transfer to a plate and let rest, about 30 minutes. (Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.)