| Ingredients: | Cookies:
Royal Icing
|
| Directions: | 1) Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. 2) Cream butter and sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Gradually mix in flour mixture. 3) Divide dough in half; flatten each half into a disk. Wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight. 4) Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Let one disk of dough stand at room temperature until soft enough to roll, about 10 minutes. Roll out dough on lightly floured work surface until just under 1/4 inch thick. Cut out cookies and transfer to parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Chill cookies in freezer until very firm, about 15 minutes. 5) Bake until edges turn golden, about 15-18 minutes. Let cool on wire racks. To decorate, flood tops of cookies with royal icing. After icing cookies, let them sit out overnight to set. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment paper in an airtight container at room temperature up to one week.Royal Icing: Combine all ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on low speed until smooth, about 7 minutes. If icing is too thick, add more water; if too thin, beat icing 2-3 minutes more or add more confectioners’ sugar a tablespoon at a time. Use icing immediately or store in an airtight container up to 2 days (icing hardens quickly when exposed to air). Beat well with a rubber spatula before using. |
| Notes: | Fiori di Sicilia is an extract that combines citrus, vanilla, and floral flavors. I purchased mine from King Arthur Flour: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/fiori-di-sicilia-1-oz, but you may be able to find it somewhere locally. It is fairly strong, so I would start with 1/2 tsp. and add more if you feel it’s needed. |
| From: | Amie Tedeschi |
