Sunday, March 28, 2010

Easter cookies with a twist



Use a basic sugar cookie recipe, see Alton Brown's recipe below. (Or in a pinch use a refrigerator package of sugar cookie dough, like the one by Tollhouse.)
Using your un-Christmas cookie cutters like a bunny, chicken, etc cut out the shaped dough. You can make an egg shape out of cardboard and using a paring knife cut out egg shapes to decorate. Use powdered sugar instead of flour as you roll out the dough to keep them from sticking and to keep the flavor crisp.

Healthy trick: Instead of using frosting after the cookies are baked and cooked, try an egg white wash on the unbaked cookies and decorating with colored sugar and sprinkles, then baking. This makes the cookies less of a sugar bomb but you will still have fun decorating and they look pretty too.
The busy bee cookies were decorated with this frosting less technique and they were yummy and cute too!

Happy Easter gardening, cooking and baking!

Sugar Cookies
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown Makes about 3 dozen-2 1/2 inch
Ingredients
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon milk
• ¼ tsp vanilla
• Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough
Directions
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine.
Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl.
Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar.
Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill.
Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time.
Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or decorated as described above.
Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

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