Normally this blog would be used to talk about highlights in Charlie's life, but today I will be telling everyone how I make my frosted butter cookies step by step.
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| A Goose! |
1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar (aka: Confectioners sugar or icing sugar)
1 cup softened butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups flour (sifted)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tarter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1) Melt the butter until just softened (if you remember to leave the butter out over night so that it gets soft and then you won't have to melt it.)
2) Cream together butter and sifted powdered sugar until well combined
3) Add the egg and vanilla and combine
4) In a separate bowl combine the sifted flour, baking soda, cream of tarter and salt (now for the salt I never add the amount the recipe calls for, really salt is used to enhance flavors and any amount is ok. I usually just sprinkle a few shakes in) mix ingredients together
5)Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet
6) mix the ingredients until all the dry is well combined in the dough
7) Refrigerate the dough for about an hour.
8) preheat oven to 375 degrees F
While the dough is in the fridge I suggest cleaning up! Then prepare an area to cut the cookies out. I use a silicon pastry mat, but a large cutting board, or an untiled counter works as well. Flour the surface, this step is important otherwise the dough will stick! You will also need ungreased cookie sheets. Now take the dough from the fridge and grab a nice size portion. I tend to squish the dough together to make sure there is no loose dough that might fall out. Place it on surface and begin to roll! I usually roll until the dough is about 1/4 inch thick. So I am really bad at math and don't actually know what 1/4 inch looks like in dough so just go ahead and roll them out so the dough is about as thick as a pencil eraser is high (hope this makes sense!). Then take your cookie cutters (if you don't have any then you should buy some before you make these cookies, they are relatively inexpensive and can be found at most cooking stores.) Cut out your shapes and then place the dough on your cookie sheets. I sometimes use a spatula/ pie server to get the cookies of the mat so that I don't make any indents. Continue to roll out dough and cut the shapes out until all the dough is gone. Once you are done or have run out of space on your cookie sheets place the cookie sheets into the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
Once out of the oven let the cookies cool for 2 minutes and then remove them from the cookie sheet to a place so they can cool more. If you still have dough left over and need to make some more shapes wait until the cookie sheets are completely cool to the touch. Failure to do so will result in the cookie dough melting on the too hot cookie sheet and then your cookie will turn out wonky. Once your cookies are completely cool to the touch you are ready to frost!
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| They should look like this when they are ready. |
There are two types of frosting that I use. I use one to outline the shapes as I find it easier to frost them when there is an outline to contain the frosting. I also use this frosting to add decoration to the cookie. This frosting dries hard which makes it really nice to use. You can also use it to frost the entire cookie if you want. I don't because my parents don't care for it as much as the second frosting.
Royal Icing
4 cups sifted powdered sugar
3 tablespoons meringue powder*
6 tablespoons water (more can be added until your desired consistency is reached)
Meringue powder isn't easy to find here. It is just powdered egg white with cornstarch to make sure it doesn't clump. I just researched online and it looks like those reading this in England can find a powdered egg white at Tesco (at least you can online!) so possibly can in other supermarkets as well.
So mix all these ingredients together until well combined (so it really doesn't make that much frosting so you might want to make more). If you need to add a teeny tiny bit more water at a time to reach desired consistency. For tracing you want a thick consistency, usually 6 tablespoons is enough, but if you use this for frosting you want a thinner consistency so add a bit more water. Now separate your icing into bowls. You will want to color your icing to decorate your cookie so use as many bowls as the colors you choose. Add the food coloring to each bowl of frosting and mix. I use a gel food coloring as a liquid one changes the consistency while gel doesn't. Once you have mixed your colors place into plastic ziplock bags to trace (you can use pastry bags or squeeze bottles if you want) and cut a tiny piece off the end. Begin to trace your cookies. If you choose to use this frosting to frost as well you can just leave some in the bowl in a thinner consistency and once you trace and let the tracing frosting dry until hardish you can frost the inside. Now it might seem gross but I use my finger to frost the inside of the cookie! I find it easier to scoop the frosting out of the bowl and to spread it then if I use a knife! Of course my finger is clean so nothing to worry about! If you don't want to do that then spoon some frosting into the middle and use a toothpick or small spoon to spread it. Just keep in mind that this frosting does harden and become crunchy. If you want to decorate let the cookies dry for an hour or so others the decorating frosting will seep.
Buttercream frosting
1/2-1 cup softened butter
5 cups sifted powder sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (you can usually find a clear version instead of a brown, if not you are coloring frosting anyway so that's ok)
add as much milk you need to reach a thinnish consistency
Mix all the ingredients together. The frosting should be thin enough that you can easily spread it but not too thin that it is a soupy mess! Once again divide the frosting into separate bowls and add the coloring. At this point your traced cookies (if you have decided not to use the royal icing to frost with) should be dry enough that you can easily spread the frosting without messing up the tracing. Once again you can use your finger or use the toothpick or spoon. This frosting does not dry hard, its does dry some, but it is soft to the touch. Do let this frosting dry some before you decorate.
If you don't feel comfortable making your own frosting you can always use store bought, it just doesn't taste as good! Also, I didn't make a video of me making the frosting, but if you would like me to just let me know and I would be more than happy to!
When you are all done your cookies will looks something like this, but different shapes! Keep in mind that it does take some practice to really do a good job decorating the cookies (or you could be naturally talented!)! It took me a good 5 years to get to the point that I am at now. If you use the royal frosting it is a lot easier to make the cookies look nice because the frosting dries so nicely.
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| This is one I did in 2011 as you can see I have come a long way! |
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| Another I did in 2011 (these were the first ones that I actually ever did this way! Got me into decorating cookies) This is Charlie looking out a window |
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| another from 2011, i'm not sure what it is! |
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| Once again 2011 |
