Royal Icing and Sugar Cookies

We interrupt this regularly scheduled program to bring you royal icing and sugar cookies!  I have two pork tenderloin recipes ready to go for matching with the Maple Mash Butternut Squash.  However, I had another wonderful group of moms at a local MOPS group hear my presentation on how to decorate cakes and cupcakes.  Everyone got their own 1M Wilton tip and techniques and recipes to use for their next baking adventure!  We also talked a little about royal icing and cookies as well, so I thought I would revisit these and my recipes.  I have made these cookies in the past, but this was a new technique with the pumpkins.  They turned out super cute.  Of course, use the icing recipe for gingerbread men as well!  That is what I plan to do for Thanksgiving.  Ina Garten in “Food Network Magazine” had the cutest gingerbread turkeys with the guests’ names in royal icing for place cards.

In regards to decorating, there are a host of youtube videos that do this way better than me. I generally use 15 second icing for the cookie except for writing the name or outlining.  It really is more simple than it sounds.  You basically take a squirt bottle and squirt water into the royal icing until you can draw a line through the icing with a knife – and after 15 seconds the line should have disappeared.

Here is a video tutorial link for the pumpkin technique.
Here is a video tutorial link for royal icing and flooding.  And another here.

Some people use baking powder in their sugar cookie recipe and some do not.  It is personal preference.  The baking powder will cause the cookie to spread slightly.  The pumpkin sugar cookie above contains baking powder.  Here is a chocolate sugar cookie without baking powder below.  I definitely think it is essential to omit if you have crisp lines like these cookies below:

Sugar Cookies
makes 18 large (4″ cookies)

3 cups flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter with 1/4 tsp. salt OR 2 sticks of salted butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract OR 3/4 tsp. vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp. almond extract

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder (if using) and salt (if using unsalted butter).
3.  In a great big mixing bowl, beat the sugar and butter together until fluffy.  About 1-2 minutes.  Add egg and combine.  Add flavoring extracts.
4.  Add flour mixture to the sugar mixture little by little.  Stop mixing once combined.
5.  Divide the dough in half.  Shape into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap.  Store in the fridge for 30 minutes.
6.  Roll out the dough onto a floured surface.  Cut out cookies.  Place on a silicone mat or parchment paper on a cookie sheet.  FREEZE cut cookies for 5 minutes.  Bake 10 minutes.  Remove as soon as they are done – usually one or two will start to brown on the edge.
7.  Cool on a wire rack.  Store in an airtight container up to 1 week or freeze in a freezer bag for 1-2 months.

Royal Icing
Covers 18 cookies

4 tablespoons meringue powder (Wilton brand is good)
scant 1/2 cup water
1 pound sifted powdered sugar (Yes, you MUST sift!!!!  I warned you!!!)
1 tsp. light corn syrup
2 tsp. clear vanilla extract (or regular vanilla if the icing doesn’t have to be very, very white.  I use regular vanilla.  Or use almond!)

1.  In a large mixing bowl, using the paddle attachment mix the powder and water on low.  It will become foamy.
2.  Still on low, add the powdered sugar little by little until incorporated.  Add light corn syrup and vanilla extract.
3.  Beat on medium speed and for about 4-6 minutes – until stiff peaks form.  I have done this using the paddle and whip attachment – I haven’t seen a difference in either one.
4.  Pour your icing into bowls for coloring or use straight white and put into your piping bag.  It will be completely dry in 24 hours.

I’ve used this recipe for 5 years.  I think it may be from Bake at 350.  But there are many of the same ones out there.