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Rolled Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

Prep Time1 hrCook Time12 minsTotal Time1 hr 12 mins

Wet Ingredients
 8 oz unsalted softened butter2 sticks
 8 ¼ oz white granulated sugar
 2 large eggs
 1 tbsp vanilla paste or extractvanilla paste is ideal
Dry Ingredients
 15 oz unbleached All-Purpose flour
 ¾ tsp baking powder
 ¼ tsp fine salt (iodized, sea, or kosher)
Royal Icing
 3 oz egg whitesabout 3 egg whites if large eggs are used
 16 oz powdered sugarabout 4 cups
 1 tsp vanilla extract
Oven Prep
1

350F, or 325F convection, upper middle and lower middle racks
Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper, or grease trays.

Mixing
2

In a 5-6 quart bowl and electric mixer with paddle attachment, mix in this order using "the creaming method". Remember, an electric mixer is strongly recommended for any recipe using a solid fat (unless you have incredible stamina and strength).

-Sugar and butter- paddle until smooth on medium low speed, for 2 minutes . You can absolutely mix even longer; the lighter in color your butter gets, the more small air pockets will tenderize your product.

-Egg and vanilla, eggs ONE AT A TIME, paddle until emulsified (no clumps, but a smooth texture), for 2 minutes on medium low speed.

-Take all dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt) and whisk in a separate bowl for 30 seconds to combine. This might seem superfluous, but this process helps to properly suspend ingredients of different densities.

-On low, mix in dry ingredients until dough just comes together, 45 seconds , DO NOT OVERMIX! You want to develop as little gluten as possible to prevent a tough and dry texture.

Resting
3

Chill dough, covered, in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes, or up to 24 hours.

Shaping
4

Roll the dough on a lightly floured work surface to ¼ inch thickness. Cut out shapes using cookie cutters. Carefully transfer the cookies onto the prepared baking sheet leaving 1 inch between each cookie. They will not spread much, especially if you chill the tray for 5 minutes before baking.

Baking and Cooling
5

Bake until cookies are pale but set, 8 to 10 minutes, (baking times will vary based on the size and thickness of your cookies) rotating sheets halfway through. Remove sheets from oven and transfer cookies to a wire cooling rack. Cool completely before decorating.

Decorating and Serving
6

In a 5-6 quart bowl and electric mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the egg whites and vanilla and beat until frothy.

-Add confectioners' sugar gradually and mix on low speed until sugar is incorporated and mixture is shiny.

-Turn speed up to high and beat until mixture forms stiff, glossy peaks. This should take approximately 5 minutes

-Add food coloring, if desired. For immediate use, transfer icing to pastry bag or heavy duty storage bag and pipe as desired.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 cookie

Servings 0