DORIE GREENSPANS SUGAR COOKIES (BON APPETIT DECEMBER 2007)

DORIE GREENSPANS SUGAR COOKIES (BON APPETIT DECEMBER 2007) image

Categories Cookies Dessert Bake Christmas Easter Thanksgiving Valentine's Day Halloween

Yield 35 cookies

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 cups all-purpose flour
Decorations: red hots, silver pearls, etc.
FOR ROYAL ICING:
3 1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon lemon juice, strained

Steps:

Cream together the butter, sugar and salt in a mixer fitter with the paddle attachment, until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, beat until well blended, about 1 minute and then add vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add flour and beat on a low speed until just combined. Gather dough into a ball;divide in half. Form each into a flattened disk and wrap in plastic, chill for at least 3 hours. It ca be made up to 2 days ahead. Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper. Working with one disk at a time, roll out dough between two sheets of wax paper to 1/8″ thin. (I didn't have any so I rolled mine out on a lightly floured counter and it was just great. I had to add flour when it seemed that the cookie dough might stick to the counter or rolling pin.) Use cookie cutters, cut out cookies and transfer to a cookie sheet, spacing 1 inch apart. Gather any scraps, roll them out until all the dough is used. If not using icing then decorated with sprinkles before baking. Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are firm and golden around the edges, about 10 minutes for smaller cookies and up to 14 minutes for larger ones. Cook completely on rack. Decorate with Royal icing, sprinkles or other decorations. Let stand until icing sets. FOR ROYAL ICING: Use electric mixer, beat 3 1/4 cups powdered sugar, egg whites & lemon juice until thick & shiny. Add more powdered sugar by the tablespoon if it is too thin to spread, about 3 min. Cover w/ wet towel until use. Fill parchment pastry bag with ~3tblsps of icing. Consistency should be soft enough to pipe but firm enough to hold its shape, like soft mashed potatoes. Cut very small hole at the tip of the bag and draw an outline around the cookie. Separate the icing into little bowls for food coloring. Thin out some icing to flood - make it consistency of molasses. Decorate.