All Aboard for Thomas the Train Cookies

 

 

I just completed these cookies for Tommy’s 3rd Birthday.  These are one of my favorite cookies I’ve made; so much fun and adorable!

 

 

 

 

It’s All About Hearts – Valentine Heart Sugar Cookies

Happy Valentine’s Day! It’s all about hearts . . . decorated heart sugar cookies.  The design options are endless.  Have you tried decorating sugar cookies yet with Royal Icing?  There are so many different ways to say “I love You” … and today I’m saying it with cookies.  Enjoy!

Recipe Source:  food.com

Kittencal’s Buttery Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened (no substitutes)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. For cookies; in a large bowl combine butter with sugar, eggs, vanilla and almond extract; beat using an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy.
2. In another bowl combine the flour with baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually stir into the butter mixture until well blended.
3. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.
4. Set oven to 400°F.
5. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper (do not grease cookie sheets use parchment paper only)
6. On a very lightly floured surface roll out the dough into about 1/4-inch thickness.
7. Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters.
8. Place cookies 2-inches apart on cookie sheet.
9. Bake 4-6 minutes.

(I do not use the icing recipe that come with this cookie recipe.)

Winter Cookie Bouquet – Say it with Cookies

Soft, with a slightly crunchy exterior these sugar cookies are delicious!  I made these cookies with my new Sugar Cookie recipe which is now my favorite.  If you are not a fan of almond you can swap it out and just use all vanilla extract.  I don’t use the recipe for the frosting, just the sugar cookies.  I use Royal Icing for decorating.

This is the first cookie bouquet I’ve used with tissue paper … and I like it!  My friend liked her cookie bouquet … and purple is her favorite color.  Mix up a batch today, get your decorating tools out and make a friend smile!

Recipe Source:  food.com

Kittencal’s Buttery Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened (no substitutes)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. For cookies; in a large bowl combine butter with sugar, eggs, vanilla and almond extract; beat using an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy.
2. In another bowl combine the flour with baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually stir into the butter mixture until well blended.
3. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.
4. Set oven to 400°F.
5. Line cookie shee
6. ts with parchment paper (do not grease cookie sheets use parchment paper only).
7. On a very lightly floured surface roll out the dough into about 1/4-inch thickness.
8. Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters.
9. Place cookies 2-inches apart on cookie sheet.
10. Bake 4-6 minutes.

Christmas Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing – Snowmen and Snowflakes

I baked and decorated a lot of sugar cookies this year!  I love the way sugar cookies look decorated with royal icing.  They can be elegant or whimsical and this sugar cookie recipe is so good!!  Not only does it taste fantastic but the dough is so easy to work with.  The cookies are baked at a high temperature for a short period of time so they don’t spread and lose their shape.

It’s hard to believe I started decorating cookies 2 years ago … time flies!  I’ve learned a lot about decorating, picked up valuable tips, and am much quicker since I first started decorating.  There are great sources of inspiration and tutorials on the internet.  A good place to start is here at The Sweet Adventures of Sugar Belle.  She has numerous tutorials and tips and is the “Queen of Sugar Cookies”!  Seriously, her cookies are amazing.

One of the best tips I picked up is that you don’t always have to make two consistencies of icing for flooding and piping,  And you do not have to wait to let the outline dry before flooding your cookie.  In fact, if after piping your outline and you flood your cookie immediately you create a seamless cookie which is much more attractive!  The more cookies you do, the better you get!  Go ahead … give it a try … you’ll love the results!

Flower and Butterfly Cookie Bouquet – Say it With Cookies!

Unfortunately my Mother and Dad don’t live close by.  So when I do get to travel and visit them I always like to bake things they like and bring something special.  This past trip I decided to make my mother a cookie bouquet.  She has seen my cookies on my blog, but it’s not like seeing the real thing.  And, after all, she is a very special mother and deserves a cookie bouquet!  Why not try your hand at decorating cookies for someone special in your life by making a cookie bouquet.  It really isn’t hard, you just need to invest some time and lots of love!

I also found another sugar cookie recipe which I like even better than the one I had been using.  I do not use the “frosting” recipe that is along with the sugar cookies; I use royal icing which hardens nicely for decorated sugar cookies.

Recipe Source:  food.com

Kittencal’s Buttery Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened (no substitutes)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. For cookies; in a large bowl combine butter with sugar, eggs, vanilla and almond extract; beat using an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy.
2. In another bowl combine the flour with baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually stir into the butter mixture until well blended.
3. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.
4. Set oven to 400°F.
5. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper (do not grease cookie sheets use parchment paper only).
6. On a very lightly floured surface roll out the dough into about 1/4-inch thickness.
7. Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters.
8. Place cookies 2-inches apart on cookie sheet.
9. Bake 4-6 minutes.

Decorated Easter Chocolate Cookies – A Hip a Hop a Hippidity Hop

I started decorating cookies with royal icing in December and I’m hooked!  This was my favorite fun batch of cookies yet!  The bunnies and eggs are just too cute!!  Instructions for decorating and the royal icing recipe can be found in my first post on decorating sugar cookies here.  Give it a try!

Chocolate Rolled Cookies

• 1 cup butter
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 Tablespoons chocolate liqueur or extra strong coffee (this can be made with about 1 teaspoon of instant espresso dissolved into 2 Tablespoons warm water)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

 

1.) Sift together (or gently stir with a whisk) the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

 

2.)  With an electric mixer cream together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until fully incorporated and fluffy.

 

3.)  Beat in egg, coffee or liqueur, and vanilla.

 

4.)  Add in flour/cocoa mixture about 1 cup at a time.  Blend until fully incorporated.  (If you are using a hand mixer you may need to add the last cup of flour by hand).

 

5.)  Divide dough into two or three large balls, place in a plastic bag and chill in the refrigerator 1-2 hours (if you’re in a hurry, you can chill the dough for about 20 minutes in the freezer).

 

6.)  Once chilled, work with one ball of dough at a time, and roll onto a lightly floured surface.  I find it works best to place a sheet of parchment paper on top of the dough, and then roll on top of the parchment.  This prevents the dough from sticking to your rolling-pin, and you also don’t need to add as much extra flour (as you would without the parchment).

 

7.)  Cut out desired shapes with cookie cutters and place on a baking sheet.

 

8.)  Place the baking sheet (with cookies on it) in the freezer about 5 minutes (this helps the dough keep it’s shape when baked).

 

9.)  Bake cookies for 7-10 minutes (depending on size) in a 350*F oven.

 

10.)  Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet a few minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

 

11.)  Decorate as desired

Happy Valentine’s Day – Chocolate Valentine’s Day Cookies – Experience the Love

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I must confess, I’m an eternal romantic at heart, I always have been, and I always will be – it is in my soul, it is part of me.  Romance makes your spirit sing and your soul take flight.  Love breathes life into your poetry, into your art, into your music … into every fiber of your being, magnifying all that is beautiful and real.  Today, and every day, is a celebration of love and of life … love for yourself … and love for that someone special in your life!  Happy Valentine’s Day!

One of my loves is chocolate, especially dark chocolate.  Another love is sugar cookies, but chocolate surpasses that love and I was happy to discover a recipe for chocolate rolled cookies that is really good and I could practice my new-found love of decorating cookies.  Give it a try and experience the love.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Rolled Cookies

1 cup butter

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

2 Tablespoons chocolate liqueur or extra strong coffee (this can be made with about 1 teaspoon of instant espresso dissolved into 2 Tablespoons warm water)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup cocoa powder

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

 

Directions:

 

1.) Sift together (or gently stir with a whisk) the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

 

2.)  With an electric mixer cream together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until fully incorporated and fluffy.

 

3.)  Beat in egg, coffee or liqueur, and vanilla.

 

4.)  Add in flour/cocoa mixture about 1 cup at a time.  Blend until fully incorporated.  (If you are using a hand mixer you may need to add the last cup of flour by hand).

 

5.)  Divide dough into two or three large balls, place in a plastic bag and chill in the refrigerator 1-2 hours (if you’re in a hurry, you can chill the dough for about 20 minutes in the freezer).

 

6.)  Once chilled, work with one ball of dough at a time, and roll onto a lightly floured surface.  I find it works best to place a sheet of parchment paper on top of the dough, and then roll on top of the parchment.  This prevents the dough from sticking to your rolling-pin, and you also don’t need to add as much extra flour (as you would without the parchment).

 

7.)  Cut out desired shapes with cookie cutters and place on a baking sheet.

 

8.)  Place the baking sheet (with cookies on it) in the freezer about 5 minutes (this helps the dough keep it’s shape when baked).

 

9.)  Bake cookies for 7-10 minutes (depending on size) in a 350*F oven.

 

10.)  Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet a few minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

 

11.)  Decorate as desired.

 

Recipe Source- Glorious Treats

 

Valentine’s Day Cookies – Pretty in Pink

I decorated my first batch of sugar cookies with royal icing in December and loved the results so much I couldn’t wait for the next holiday to decorate more cookies. Valentine cookies were fun to decorate, after all, what girlie girl doesn’t love pink?!

To make these cookies refer to my previous post for the recipe and how to decorate cookies using royal icing.

Ultimate Sugar Cookies – Decorated for Christmas

I have a confession to make.  I’ve had sugar cookie envy for many, many years.  Year after year at Christmas time I made sugar cookies; they were not a pretty sight!  They tasted great but the icing was put on with a knife and decorated with sprinkles.  There is nothing wrong with that, except I always loved looking at pretty decorated sugar cookies and I didn’t know how to replicate them.  I lived with my envy of the beautiful decorated cookies that others made; until this year when I ventured into an unknown territory of royal icing, decorating tips, disposable pastry bags, and gel food coloring!  I owe it all to bloggers!  I found quite a few bloggers with step by step directions for decorating sugar cookies with royal icing.  I could hardly wait to try it out.  I discovered a few things:  I love decorating cookies, I especially love the end result; and decorating cookies like this definitely takes some time!  My first batch went terrifyingly slow … I won’t even tell you how many hours it took!!  The second batch, I cut my time down in half … phew … sigh of relief!  I had fun with it – I sat at the kitchen table, put some Christmas music on and away I went into a new adventure with royal icing.

I’ve been using this recipe for sugar cookies for year – we love them!

The Ultimate Sugar Cookie

3/4 cup Golden Crisco or Butter-flavored Crisco (shortening)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Coloured decorations or icing

Cream Crisco, sugar, eggs and vanilla in large mixer bowl at medium speed of electric mixer until light and creamy. combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to creamed mixture, mixing on low speed until well blended. Cover dough and chill 1 hour, if desired, for easy rolling. Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll half of dough at a time. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a cookie cutter, cut in desired shapes. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Roll leftover pieces. Sprinkle with coloured decorations or leave plain to decorate when cool. Bake at 375°F for 8 to 10 minutes, or until edges are light brown. (Time will vary with cookie size.) Cool slightly, then remove to cooling rack.

Decorating with Royal Icing

The best directions I found were here at Annie’s Eats.  She details everything with pictures so it is easy to follow along – great job Annie!!  Thank you.

Royal Icing – Source:  Annies-Eats
Ingredients:
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tbsp. meringue powder
5 tbsp. water

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix on low speed until the sheen has disappeared and the icing has a matte appearance (about 7-10 minutes).  Transfer the contents of the mixing bowl to an air-tight container.  This will be the stiffest consistency of the icing, and at this point it is still too stiff to use for decorating.  Add water a very small amount at a time and stir by hand until fully incorporated.  Continue until the icing has reached a consistency appropriate for piping.  (Remember, if you are having any difficulty piping, it is still too thick.  Add a little more liquid and try again.)  Using a pastry bag, pipe around the edges of each cookie.  Let stand so the icing will set.  Make sure to keep the leftover icing covered at all times when not in use so that it does not begin to harden.

Once all the cookies have been edged, transfer some of the remaining icing to a separate air-tight container.  Thin out by incorporating a small amount of water at a time, until the icing drips off the spoon easily when lifted and then smooths in with that still in the bowl.  If you go too far and the icing is too thin, add more sifted powdered sugar to thicken it again.  Once the icing has reached the desired consistency, transfer it to a squeeze bottle (or a plastic bag with a hole in one corner), and flood the area surrounded by the piping on each cookie.  If it does not completely spread to the edges, use a toothpick to help it along.  Allow to set.

Use the remaining thicker icing for piping decoration as desired.  Gel icing color is best as it does not add a significant amount of liquid.  Liquid food coloring can be used as well – add powdered sugar as needed to compensate for any thinning that occurs.

 

Give it a try – you will love the results!