I baked sugar cookies for Easter!
I know this is not a food blog, but baking and decorating cookies is a craft, right? I’m not even fond of cooking and baking, but what I do love is decorating things—even cookies.
I have been itching to decorate cookies with royal icing for the longest time. I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated exclusively to beautiful cookies! Last Christmas, I had the best intention to decorate pretty cookies, but then… my window of opportunity came and went. This Easter, I’m all about bunnies and cute crafts (like these burlap carrots), and I took the opportunity to try the cookies.
By now, you are aware that I did not develop a special recipe to share with you! What I will do, however, is tell you where I found my recipe and if I liked the outcome or not.
I found this sugar cookie recipe in a little booklet that came with cookie cutters I bought two Christmases ago. If someone is famous for their cookie cutters, my guess is that they probably bake a mean cookie! The recipe did not disappoint. (You can find the recipe here.)
Sugar cookie recipe
Cream together:
- One cup unsalted butter softened
- 2/3 cup sugar
Beat in:
- One egg
Add:
- One teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2.5 cups sifted flour
Mix until all ingredients are well blended. Chill dough 3-4 hours before rolling—Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C. Roll out on a lightly floured counter to 1/4 thick and cut with your cookie cutters.
Transfer cookies onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 8-10 minutes or until lightly coloured. Let cookies cool slightly on the baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack. Cookies must be completely cool before decorating.
Royal icing
I have never used royal icing before, and I was really excited to try this type of decorating.
Most recipes use meringue powder, which I forgot to put on the shopping list. For this reason, I searched for a recipe that uses egg whites instead. I found my recipe on The Food Network’s website.
Ingredients:
- 3 ounces pasteurized egg whites
- One teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups icing sugar
Directions:
Beat the egg whites and vanilla together until frothy.
Gradually add the icing sugar and mix at low speed until the mixture is shiny.
Turn the speed up to high and beat until the mixture forms stiff, glossy, glossy peaks.
Food coloring can now be added.
The mixture can be refrigerated for three days if sealed tightly.
What I did differently
- I know nothing about ounces, and seeing 3 ounces of egg whites gave me heart palpitations. Reading the comments always helps! Someone suggested that it almost always equals the whites of 3 eggs, and I thought, LET’S GO! It worked out perfectly.
2. Most people use piping bags to decorate with. I used squeeze bottles with fine tips, which are so much easier to use, holding it with just one hand.
As you can see, I don’t have a steady, trained hand, but I’m going to work on that. I read that outlining everything first prevents the icing from running down the sides, and it worked like a charm.
I must admit, I had so much fun playing around with this! I’m definitely going to do this more often and hopefully master the skill.
Ta da ! Cute little bunny and carrot decorated sugar cookies, just in time for Easter.
If you feel inspired, you can pin the image below to your Pinterest board of choice. While you are there, have a look at all the amazing cookie designs I have saved on my cookie board.
