SAN ANTONIO – Sugar cookies aren’t just for Christmas. You can celebrate them all year long - you just need the right cookie cutters.
Junior chef Molly O’Connell recently picked up a set of fun summer shapes, including a pineapple, a watermelon slice, a lemon or lime and a flamingo. Check out the recipe for the cookie dough and icing below.
Sugar cookie dough
Makes at least 24 cookies
Ingredients:
- 3 cups flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks butter, room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
Directions:
Mix dry ingredients. Cream butter and sugar together in mixer. Add egg and mix well. Add vanilla, then add flour in four parts, mixing on lowest setting. Add cream and mix on medium until well combined.
Flatten onto plastic wrap on a small cookie sheet and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll out cookie dough and cut into shapes. Bake for 4 minutes, turn and bake for another 4 minutes.
Let cool and decorate with icing.
Royal icing
Should ice full batch of cookies
Ingredients:
- 3 egg whites
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 cups powdered sugar
Directions:
Whisk egg whites on low setting until they froth at the top. Add vanilla and powdered sugar to mixer bowl, then whisk on medium until ingredients are well combined. You’ll know it’s ready if you spoon a ribbon of icing over the rest in the bowl and it takes 5 seconds to disappear.