Sugar Cookies

From Gayathri's cook spot

Yields around 80 cookies

Ingredients: 

Butter-1 cup

Granulated Sugar-3/4 cup ( grind to fine powder)

All Purpose Flour/ Maida-2 1/2 cups

Baking Soda-1/4 tsp
Salt-1/4 tsp
Fresh Cream-1/4 cup
Vanilla Essence-1 tsp

Procedure:
1. Cream together butter and powdered sugar. 
2. Add cream and beat until fluffy.
3. Add in vanilla essence.
4. In a separate bowl mix flour, salt and baking soda.
5. Add this mixture to butter mixture and mix until everything comes together to a soft dough.
6. Divide it into 4 equal portions, place each portion in a cling wrap, and refrigerate.
7. You can prepare this the day before and the cookies can be made the next day or any day with in the week.
8. Before making the cookie, remove the dough from fridge and let it become little soft.
9. If it is straight out of the fridge, then it will break while trying to roll it.
10. When the dough comes to slightly softer consistency, place it between two sheets of cling wrap and roll it into 1/8" thick disc.
11. Cut with a cookie cutter.
12. Gently remove the cookies from the wrap and place it on a lined baking tray.
13. Refrigerate until firm.
14. Preheat oven to 175C.
15. Bake the cookies for 5-10 minutes.
16. When the base starts browning, remove from oven and let it sit on counter for 5 minutes or until the cookies become firm.
17. Remove the cookies from the tray with a spatula and cool completely on a wire rack.

P.S: The dough consistency is very important while rolling it. If it has become soft, wrap it and place in refrigerator until firm before rolling it out.

For Icicng

Ingredients:
Confectioner's Sugar/ Icing Sugar-2 cups
Milk-4-5 tbs
Vanilla Essence-1 tsp
Liquid Food Colours

Procedure:
1. In a large bowl sieve the icing sugar.
2. Add vanilla essence and 2 tbs of milk.
3. Whisk until incorporated.
4. Add milk by tablespoons until you end up with a thick icing of dropping consistency.
5. Divide it into 4 equal portions.
6. Leave one as it is and for the other 3 bowls add different food colours.
7. Mix well. Pour the colours into disposable icing bags.
8. Decorate the cookies as per your creativity.



Picture source Gayathri's Cook Spot

Ginger Bread Cookies

Ingredients
2 and 1/2 cups Plain flour(maida)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp Mixed spice or (1 tsp ground dry ginger,1/2 tsp ground cinnamon,1/4 tsp ground cloves,1/4 tsp ground nutmeg)
1/2 cup butter,at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar      
1/4 cup warm milk
1 tsp vanilla extract


Method

• I used the mixed spice powder,you can use the grounded dry ginger,cinnamon,cloves,nutmeg.
• Take a mixing bowl add plain flour,spice powders,baking powder,baking soda,mix well.
• Shift the mix and keep aside.

9

• Add the butter and brown sugar(brown sugar which is used is not too dark so the cookies looks light brown) in a mixing bowl and beat well.
• Add the milk and mix well.Add in the shifted flour and mix well.

• Use your hands and knead the dough,the dough consistency will be like chapathi dough.If it is too thick add a tsp milk and knead well.
• Take little part and roll it using the rolling pin.
• Use the cookie cutter and cut the dough.

• Use your desired cutter and cut the dough.
• Line a parchment paper and arrange the cookies on it.
• Bake it for 15 minutes at 180 degree Celsius.Remove it from oven and let it cool completely.Cookies are ready for dress up.

Lets make the icing:

How to make Vegan Royal Icing for Cookies:
You need:

1 cup icing sugar(shifted)
1 and 1/2 tsp corn starch
1 tsp lemon juice
2-3 tsp soy milk(if you don't get add normal milk)

• Shift the icing sugar and corn starch,keep aside.
• Take 1/2 cup of flour first.Drop lime juice or vinegar and soy milk beat well.

• Scrap down the sides and then add in the remaining icing sugar,beat well.
• If you feel the mix is bit watery add a tsp of icing sugar and mix it.Now the icing is ready.

• Separate the icing into 3 parts and keep the one part separately.
• Take the other 2 parts add 3 drops of red and green colours,mix well.
• Fill the icing in cones and make it ready.

• Make ready the cones and start the decoration. Drop the outline first and then fill it.Use tooth pick for spreading the colour all over the cookies.

• You can make the simple deco also ,if you want to make the snow effect on cookies and sprinkle sugar on top of white icing,it will stick on it.Let it cool down after deco so that the cream will not stick on you hands.Once done store it in air tight co