Makes: 24 cookies

 

Ingredients

• 3/4  cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4  teaspoon baking powder
• 1  egg
• 2  egg yolks
• 1  cup sifted powdered sugar
• 1/2  cup butter, melted and cooled
• 2  teaspoons finely shredded orange peel
• 2  teaspoons orange juice
• 1/2  teaspoon anise seed, crushed (optional)
• 1  recipe Confectioners or 2 cans vanilla frosting
•   Red, blue, green, pink, and/or black paste food coloring
•   Small round candies, like Mini M&M's, red hots, sprinkles, etc. 

Directions

1. Grease and flour (I use spray Pam with flour for baking) twenty-four 3-inch Madeleine molds; set aside. Stir together flour and baking powder; set aside.

2. In a medium mixing bowl beat egg and egg yolks with an electric mixer on high speed 5 minutes or until thick and lemon colored. Add powdered sugar; beat on low speed until combined, then on high speed about 5 minutes more or until very thick and satiny. Beat in butter with an electric mixer on low speed. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed until combined. Stir in orange peel, orange juice, and, if using, anise seed. Carefully spoon batter into the prepared molds, filling each three-fourths full.

3. Bake in a 375 degree F oven about 10 minutes or until edges are golden and tops spring back. Cool in molds on rack 1 minute. Loosen cookies with a knife. Invert cookies onto a rack and cool completely.

4. Divide frosting, leaving about half of it white; color one-third with red and and remaining with green, black, and/or blue food coloring. I just made Red and White and used candies I had to decorate the faces.

5. To decorate, fill a decorating bag fitted with a small star tip with white frosting. Pipe on hat trim at an angle about a third of the way down from narrow end of cookie. Fill decorating bag fitted with a small star tip or plain tip with red or pink frosting; pipe on hat. With white frosting, pipe on mustache, beard, and pom-pom hat. Fill decorating bag fitted with a small round tip with green, black, or blue frosting; pipe on eyes. Using red frosting, pipe on mouth. Pipe on other frosting decorations. (Or, use small round candies for eyes, nose, mouth, and cheeks, attaching them with icing.) Wrap cookies tightly to store. Makes 24 cookies.

Frosting:  Use Confectioners Icing, and tint it to the colors of your choice.  Use gel colors, not liquid, as they will thin out the icing too much.  You can find them in any chocolate/baking store, or craft store like Michaels. 

Royal icing

For cake and cookie decorators, royal icing is indispensable. Think of it as sweet, edible “glue” that holds together or attaches finished tiers of cake, ices cookies, creates decorations, and allows you to attach decorations directly onto the cake. The amount of sugar you use will determine the thickness of your royal icing. For stiffer icing, add more sugar. For looser icing (for flooding your designs), add a few drops of water to thin the icing a bit.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 cup (3 ounces) pasteurized egg whites

• 4 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon (16 ounces) sifted confectioners' sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form.

2. Set the mixer to medium-low speed and gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 cup (4 ounces) at a time. Scrape thoroughly between additions.

3. Add the lemon juice and beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the icing is no longer shiny, 6 to 8 minutes.

4. Use immediately or place the icing in an airtight container. You can keep royal icing in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.