Celebrate winter with these festive snowflake cookies.
—TASTE OF HOME TEST KITCHEN
PREP: 20 MIN. + CHILLING • BAKE: 10 MIN./BATCH + STANDING • MAKES: ABOUT 3 DOZEN
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 to 1 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
ROYAL ICING
2 pounds confectioners’ sugar
6 tablespoons meringue powder
3/4 cup warm water
Sky blue gel food coloring
White edible glitter and superfine sugar
Ribbon
1. In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extracts. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.
2. Divide dough into fourths. Cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours or until easy to handle.
3. Preheat oven to 375°. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one portion to 1/8-in. thickness. (Refrigerate other portions until ready to use.) Using a variety of sizes of floured snowflake cookie cutters, cut out snowflakes.
4. Carefully place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Using small decorating cutters, cut out desired shapes to create designs in some of the snowflakes. Use a toothpick to help remove the cutouts. With a plastic straw, poke a hole in the top of each small cookie.
5. Bake medium and large snowflakes 6 1/2-7 minutes and small snowflakes 6 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Repeat with remaining dough.
6. For royal icing, in a large bowl, combine confectioners’ sugar and meringue powder. Add warm water; beat on low speed 1 minute. Beat on high 4-5 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Tint half blue. Leave remaining icing white; cover and set aside.
7. With blue icing and a round tip, outline half of the cookies; fill in centers with blue icing and let dry completely. With white icing and a round tip, outline each blue-colored cookie and create snowflake designs. Sprinkle with edible glitter and superfine sugar, then let dry completely.
8. On the remaining cookies, repeat process using white icing on white frosted cookies. Thread a ribbon through the hole in each small snowflake and through the cutout in each medium and large snowflake.