Since I wanted cookies for yesterday's very successful (despite the weather) egg hunt I decided to use the occasion for the first test for my sister-in-law's wedding favors. Although the cookies in the picture look like circles, they are actually egg shaped and, I have to say, I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out. My husband initially felt that we have a winner and no further testing is necessary but when I pointed out that more testing means more cookies he agreed that perhaps in the interests of science it would be a good idea after all.
I used the Butter Cookie recipe from Toba Garrett's splendid Creative Cookies. Toba Garrett is one of those wonderful Manhatten pastry chefs whose cakes and cookies fetch astonishing sums (her store offers a $250.00 cookie that serves six, and this ain't no giant mall cookie, friend). Anyway, her cookie and cake instructional books are among the few that I find are truly well-written and which offer clear, followable directions. Even more attractive, many of the designs in her books can be attempted with gear that most home pastry enthusiasts will have on hand or that is available in your local craft store. Ms. Garrett also offers private lessons, which I think it really just great.
Anyway, the Butter Cookie recipe is notable for two reasons. First, the dough does not require refrigeration before rolling (although it can be make in advance and refrigerated up to two weeks) - a definite plus, in my opinion, since I've always found refrigerated doughs very difficult to manipulate. Second, the recipe includes a small number of ingredients and it's very quick to throw together if your butter is sufficiently softened.
Butter Cookies (after Toba Garrett's Creative Cookies)1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and sugar together, add the egg and vanilla and blend well. Add the powdered ingredients and blend into the butter mixture a bit at a time, blending well after each addition. Divide the finished dough into two balls, and wrap one ball in plastic until ready to use. Roll out the other ball on a floured surface to 1/4 inch. Cut out cookies using a knife or cookie cutter and remove cookies with a spatula to an ungreased, non-stick cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, taking care not to let the cookies brown.
Although the original recipe calls for use of a mixer, I made the dough by hand with a wooden spoon and had no trouble.
The glaze and piping was a very simple royal icing. Two pounds of confectioner's sugar, a couple tablespoons of powdered egg white, a half a teaspoon of vanilla or some other extract (I used almond), and a bit of warm water added very slowly, tablespoon by tablespoon until you have a fairly thick, pipable icing. To save time and pastry bags, I decided to pipe the outline of each cookie in white. By the time I finished outlining the last cookie, the first was dry enough to glaze.
Because I wanted to use several different colors of glaze, I removed three-quarters of a cup of the base icing to separate smaller bowls. To these I added a bit of color paste and another two tablespoons of water to create a more pourable icing. The cookies are filled by pouring a tablespoon or so of glaze to the center of the cookie and spreading it out with a toothpick to the borders of the outline and allowed to dry overnight. (Cover the bowl of piping icing with a clean, moistened tea towel - it should stay pipable until the next morning, needing a only a quick stir.)
All that remains is to pipe your designs. Fit a pastry bag with a #2 or #3 tip (I like a #3, personally), fill with the reserved piping icing and have a little fun. Since my piping skills are a work in progress, I stuck to dots, filligrees and swirls. I've seen advanced pipers do really extraordinary designs, but I try not to pressure myself overmuch (yeah, right) and remembered that the four year olds for whom the cookies were intended would likely appreciate even the most rudimentary work.
The next cookie test will involve this same base recipe using almond extract in the dough and another type of glaze - possible a rum version, I'm not sure. I also want to work on using a more firm piping icing since the actual wedding cookies will be almost twice as large as the eggs and I think we'll want the decorations to be more defined after drying.