Iced Sugar Cookies

Lollipop Cookies/ Iced Sugar Cookies

With the holidays so close you may be in search of a few sweets and treats to impress your party guests. Try pastry chef Elisa Strauss’ creative and unique recipes. The author of “Confetti Cakes for Kids: Delightful Cookies, Cakes and Cupcakes from New York City's Famed Bakery” shares her delicious desserts, including lollipop cookies, vanilla sugar cookies and royal icing.

I also love this recipe in that you can leave off the stick and follow the recipe the same way to just make yummy sugar cookies. You can decorate all kinds of shapes for all holidays! This recipe was featured using store bought dough, so I added the recipe I use below for the sugar cookie dough. Make sure it is cold when you work with it! Return it to the fridge in between use if needed. Elisa's Vanilla Sugar Cookie recipe is also in the middle of the recipe.

Sugar Cookie Recipe (if you opt not to use store bought)

Makes 2 dozen.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons brandy, or milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar; add dry ingredients, and mix until incorporated. With mixer running, add egg, brandy (or milk), and vanilla; mix until incorporated.

Transfer dough to a work surface. Shape into 2 discs, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with nonstick baking mats or parchment paper; set aside.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes, and transfer to prepared baking sheets, leaving an inch in between. Leftover dough can be rolled and cut once more. Bake until lightly golden, about 10 minutes; do not allow to brown. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Lollipop cookies

"Confetti Cakes for Kids: Delightful Cookies, Cakes and Cupcakes from New York City's Famed Bakery" by Elisa Strauss and Christie Matheson

When I was a little girl, I loved looking at the bright colors of sugary lollipops, but my favorite things to eat then were cookies (and that’s still true today!). These cookies feature the best of both worlds, and they are lots of fun to display for a party. If you don’t have tall jars, you could keep them upright by sticking the lollipop sticks in florist foam. They also look fantastic arranged on a plate. These designs work on just about any shape of cookie — all you need is the drop-in flooding technique. If you don’t have a set of round cookie cutters, you can create a variety of circle templates by tracing small jars or other round objects in your kitchen.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 roll of cookie dough

• Royal icing (see below)

• Food-coloring gels

• White lollipop sticks, 3/16 inch thick and 12 inches long, cut into varied lengths

• Toothpicks

• Small offset spatula

• Scissors

• Cutters

• Pastry bags and plastic couplers

• Pastry tips #2 and #3

DIRECTIONS

Prepare the cookie dough and roll it out as directed, except for the thickness. For this project you will need to roll the dough slightly thicker than 1/4 inch, depending on the size of your lollipop stick. The dough should be about twice as thick as the stick. So for a 3 ⁄16 inch-thick stick roll the dough 3 ⁄8 inch thick. Use the round cutters to cut out cookies and then insert the sticks into the edges of the cookies, halfway into the circles. Bake according to the recipe, checking for doneness and possibly baking for 1 to 2 minutes longer due to the extra thickness.

I suggest test-baking one cookie before baking the entire batch to make sure the dough is thick enough and the stick does not show through the cookie. Let the cookies cool completely. While the cookies are cooling, make the royal icing.

Divide the icing, and dye each portion in the colors you will use. Prepare stiff and loose icing in each color. Put the stiff icings in pastry bags fitted with #2 tips and the loose icings in bags fitted with #3 tips. Using the shapes of the cookie as your guide, pipe a complete outline on each cookie using stiff icing.

For the drop-in flooding, flood and decorate one cookie at a time, using looser icing. Have all your colors ready and close at hand. Begin byflooding an entire cookie. Without waiting for the cookie to dry, drop in the color(s) in the shape that you want.

Vanilla sugar cookies

"Confetti Cakes for Kids: Delightful Cookies, Cakes and Cupcakes from New York City's Famed Bakery" by Elisa Strauss and Christie Matheson

Yield: Approximately twelve 3-inch cookies

Buttery and scented with vanilla, they are great for cutting into shapes and decorating. For the best shape, it’s important to freeze the cut cookies for at least 15 minutes or until they are firm to the touch (this helps prevent spreading) before you bake them.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2 cups plus 2 Tablespoons (11 oz.) all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 3/4 cup (6 ounces; 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (4 ounces) granulated sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, sift together the ﬂour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.

3. Add the ﬂour mixture in 2 batches, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Beat until the dough just comes together, being careful not to overmix.

4. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Form the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

5. Place the ball of dough between two pieces of parchment paper and roll out to 1/4 inch thick. Keeping the dough in the parchment, transfer to a cookie sheet and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

6. Cut the cookies in the desired shapes and place at least 1 inch apart on a half-sheet pan lined with parchment paper or an ungreased nonstick cookie sheet. Transfer to the freezer and chill for at least 15 minutes or until they are stiff.

7. Preheat the oven to 350° F.

8. Bake until the cookies are light golden brown, about 10 minutes.

9. Let the cookies cool completely on the sheets before decorating. (They will still be soft when they come out of the oven and may break or become misshapen if they are moved off the sheets before cool.)

TIPS

Tip: You can make this dough up to 2 weeks ahead of time. Roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper, wrap in plastic, and freeze. Defrost until the dough is pliable enough to roll out to the desired thickness and cut, 10 to 15 minutes. Continue from step 6.

Royal icing

"Confetti Cakes for Kids: Delightful Cookies, Cakes and Cupcakes from New York City's Famed Bakery" by Elisa Strauss and Christie Matheson

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.

My Favorite Things

Lollipop Cookies/ Iced Sugar Cookies

What Are Your Favorite Things?