Labor Of Love: Frosted Sugar Cookies...

Thanks to my very good friend C, I am able to make these awesome cookies. They are quite a task to make, but so much fun! The longest part of the whole process is making the glaze and icing!

Also, keep in mind that you must chill the dough before cutting the shapes and baking.

Recipe from Annie's Eats

(This recipe makes approximately 60 cookies)

Ingredients:

2 cups butter, softened to room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

2 eggs, beaten

3 t. almond extract

2 t. vanilla

2 t. salt

5 cups flour

Directions:
Cream butter until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar. Blend in egg, almond extract, vanilla, salt and flour. Chill dough overnight until firm. Roll to 1/4” thickness on well-floured surface. Cut with cookie cutters. Place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350° for 10-12 min (I typically bake for the full 12 minutes). Cookies should not brown. Frost and decorate when cool and store in airtight container. Yields ~60 cookies.

Royal Icing for edges: This will make approximately 6-7 cups of frosting. It makes a lot, but when you separate it into 7 different colors, it only makes a cup of each.

8 cups Powdered Sugar

6 tablespoons meringue powder

12 tablespoons warm water

In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Beat on high speed with a stand mixer for approximately 5 minutes or until peaks form . You may want to add a little more water so it’s not too stiff and easier to outline the cookies. Outline cookies with cake frosting tip (I use a Wilton #4 tip, Wilton 12 inch disposable decorating bags, and Wilton couplers to hold the tips).

Almond Flavoring Glaze:

*One batch of this will fill one Wilton squeeze bottle to the top. I typically make this in double batches for each color I will need.

1 T. Butter, melted

1 ½ Cup Powdered Sugar

1 T. Corn Syrup

1 tsp. Almond Extract

2 ½ T. Milk

*You must use Wilton colors for dying the glaze and icing. Do not use food coloring!

Mix all ingredients with a wire whisk – add additional milk carefully until you reach desired consistency. Once colored, pour into squeeze bottles. Fill in cookies once the royal icing has hardened.