Sunday, March 13, 2011

Easter Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies colored in cheery, bright colors or soft dreamy pastels welcome springtime into your kitchen

and surely put smiles on the kids faces.

taste

Look at some of these gorgeous cookies below, made by some master cookie makers.

Each picture is hyperlinked so you can go to these wonderful women’s websites and learn more from them!

Kate at Grin & Bake It

 

Martha Stewart’s Ideal Sugar Cookies

 

Marianne at Sweetopia

 

Bridget at Bake at 350

I’m more of a roll-them-in-a-ball-and-eat-them-straight-out-of-the-oven-kind-of-girl.

But I’ve always wanted to try to make gorgeous frosted cookies and I never could figure out how.

These ladies above taught me how! So come along as I attempt my first frosted cookie experience!

I found this Krusteaz mix at Sam’s Club during Christmas and loved it so much I bought a few bags.

All you need is 2 1/2 cups of the mix, 1 egg, and a stick of softened butter.

Krusteaz Mix

I love adding lemon or orange zest (or both!) to my dough. It adds a fresh bright flavor.

orange zest

When doing roll out cookies add 1/2 cup of flour to your mix.  This makes for a stiffer dough.

Now I know this is the most tempting part, but try not to eat too much at this point!

citrus sugar dough

All my kids love to help out in the kitchen, so bring in your little helpers to assist you in your cookie cutting and bake as directed.

cutting cookies

What I learned from the fabulous women featured above is that they line their cookies in royal icing.

Royal Icing consists of powdered sugar, meringue powder or egg whites, and water.

I have to admit, I was lazy and just used powdered sugar and water and food coloring. 

When you mix your icing for lining, you want it pretty thick, so it holds a long ribbon when lifted in the air.

I’m pretty low-budge when it comes to icing tools. I always use quart or gallon size freezer bags, snipping off a corner and adding my tip.

To see other ways to use freezer bags in all your frosting needs click HERE or HERE.

piping bag

Use 2 different sized tips. A small tip for outlining your cookie and a larger tip for “flooding” your cookie.

tip sizes

 

Outline each cookie with your small tip and let it set up and harden (wait at least 1/2 hour!!!).

Then you can “flood” the inside of your cookie with a watered down icing. The icing should flow easily.

outline & flood

If you want to add spots inside your frosting, then add dots while your flooded icing is still wet.

add dots to flood

If you’d like raised spots then add them after your icing has set up.

Below are my humble, first attempt Easter cookies. One bite and WOW!

The citrus flavor bursts in your mouth while the tender, buttery cookie melts on your tongue. Yum Oh Yum!

Easter sugar cookies

Now that I tried the “professional way” of decorating cookies, I’m not so intimidated anymore.

But I do admit it does take some time to accomplish, and I kept eating more cookies then I decorated.

Be aware…. these beauties won’t last long!

Happy Easter y’all!

 

Kim

Linking up to:

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14 comments:

  1. Great job! They look yummy, and your little helper is just precious!

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  2. Thanks for the tips. Yours look great.

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  3. Kim they look to pretty to eat, but they wouldn't last in my house either!! Martina

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  4. These are SO cute! I like using cookie mixes because you can then put your energy in the decorating.

    When you use the icing to flood the cookie, is it a thinner consistency then the icing you used to outline them?

    XO,
    Jane

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  5. Jane (Blondie's Journal)- Yes,the icing is thinner. Just take the same icing you used for outlining and slowly mix in scant amounts of water until the icing flows easily.

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  6. Thanks for showing us how to get such beautiful cookies! I was always intimidated before too, but you made it less scary:) I love your cute shapes too!

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  7. Karen, thank you for the shout out!! You did a fantastic job with your cookies!!!
    xo,
    Marian

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  8. Wow, you take the fright outta frighteningly hard cookies!! Thanks for the step by step you too can do it pics!! If your little helper can do it (with a smiley face mind you!) I think I can too ;) Kim

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  9. These came out so cute! I too have wanted to try my hand at decorating cookies like the "pros" but have been too chicken! Might have to finally give them a try.

    -Amy
    Blog Giveaway -Ends 3/31

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  10. so cute! I am missing the meringue powder. My kroger doesn't carry it, but i just found it at Michaels of all places!

    new follower...

    laura@imnotatrophywife.com

    http://imnotatrophywife.blogspot.com/2011/03/i-see-hints-of-spring-and-green.html

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  11. These look awesome! You did a fantastic job! Now I want to try these tips. :-)

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  12. Cute cookies! And thanks so much for the shout-out!

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  13. I always wondered how to "flood" a cookie. I figured it must be a watered down form of icing. And yes, I find that the longer the baked good takes to create, the more icing and sweets I eat! Have no idea how bakers stay skinny! Your cookies turned out very cute!

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