FROSTED HOLIDAY SUGAR COOKIES

Frosted Holiday Sugar Cookies image

Whether you're making Santas or dreidls, shamrocks or bunnies, this foolproof cookie and royal icing recipe is the only one you need. Don't skip chilling the dough after rolling it out. It really helps the cookies keep their shape while baking. And if you'd like to frost the cookies very generously, consider doubling the icing amounts below.

Provided by Melissa Clark

Time 40m

Yield 4 dozen cookies

Number Of Ingredients 13

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups/312 grams all-purpose flour, more for rolling
1 teaspoon/5 grams baking soda
1 teaspoon/3 grams cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon/3 grams kosher salt
1 cup/228 grams unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
1 1/2 cups/188 grams confectioners sugar
2 teaspoons/10 milliliters vanilla extract
1 large egg
3 3/4 cups/1 pound/454 grams confectioners' sugar
3 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
Pinch kosher salt
Food coloring, as needed

Steps:

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in vanilla, then beat in egg.
Add flour mixture and beat until just combined. Divide the dough in half, pat into flat rectangles, wrap in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours.
Divide each dough parcel in half, and roll out to 1/8-inch thickness between two sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining dough. Chill until firm, about 20 minutes.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line four cookie sheets with parchment paper, sprinkling with a little flour if the dough seems sticky. Cut out shapes from the rolled and chilled dough and place on prepared sheets 1-inch apart. Bake until golden around the edges, 8 to 13 minutes. Let cool.
Meanwhile, prepare the royal icing: in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugar, egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt. Whisk until stiff and glossy.
To tint the frosting, divide into small bowls. Cover the ones you aren't using with plastic wrap; the frosting dries out very quickly. Use a rubber spatula to stir in desired food coloring. Though not necessary, it makes life easier if you make two versions of each color - one that is thick to pipe the outline on the cookie, and one that is thinned out slightly with a little water to flood the outline. Transfer frosting to piping bags fitted with very small round tips (sizes 1 to 2 work best).
Pipe frosting onto cooled cookies and let set, at least 2 hours. Or use a pastry of paint brush to decorate cookies with the frosting.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 113, UnsaturatedFat 1 gram, Carbohydrate 18 grams, Fat 4 grams, Fiber 0 grams, Protein 1 gram, SaturatedFat 2 grams, Sodium 61 milligrams, Sugar 13 grams, TransFat 0 grams