Tuesday 9 December 2014

Vanilla-Butter Sugar Cookies

Seeing those pretty and beautifully decorated butter sugar cookies really made me wanna have fun in decorating them too.

So, my first attempt on decorated cookies
^-^! There, off I went to get some sprinkles and pearl candies ...

After the cut-out cookies were baked and cooled ... I can't wait to do some simple free style "drawing/painting" with frosting.

Gosh ! Realised that I've overfilled the small 'piping bag'. I rolled the parchment paper like ice cream cone to fill the frosting. In no time, my right hand was filled with glaze as it oozed out. Haiz!

Piped some outline ... next, to drop some pearl candies using a tweezer.  Well ... this is where the challenges come. I must apply a gentle yet not too firm pressure in picking up the pearl candies with a tweezer. Didn't count how many times I've dropped the pearls off before placing them nicely on the glaze :(  .. quite tiring picking these tiny pearls with shaky hand ~°~ ... hee hee!


FINALLY ! I told my girl that I could only decorate half of the cookies. Unless she could help me. These decorated cookies were for her gathering at church.



Recipe source : Taste of Home
I've halved the recipe, and reduced the caster sugar slightly and my notes in blue.
Yields about 24 cookies
Vanilla-Butter Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
90g caster sugar
174g butter, softened
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
250g all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

FROSTING:
50g confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon milk
Food coloring, optional
Colored sugar (sprinkles,  pearl candies)

Method:
1) In a bowl, combine sugar and butter; beat until creamy.

2) Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Stir together dry ingredients; gradually add to creamed mixture until completely blended. Chill for 30 minutes. (I put the dough in freezer about 20 minutes instead)

3) Preheat oven to 170°C. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with holiday cutters dipped in flour. Using a floured spatula, transfer cookies to ungreased baking sheets. (I didn't use the spatula as could unmould the cookies directly from the cutter)


4) Bake 10-12 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

For frosting:
Combine sugar, butter, vanilla and milk; beat until creamy. Thin with additional milk to desired spreading consistency if necessary.

Add a few drops of food coloring if desired. Spread frosting over cookies and decorate with colored sugar.

Allow the glaze to firm/dry, store the cookies in airtight container.


These buttery and vanilla fragrance sugar cookies tasted soft and yummy ... perfect with a cup of hot beverage.  I would definitely preferred the plain ones without the sweet glaze. But nicely decorated cookies are lovely, presentable and yummy as Christmas gift for children and big kids !

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡


I'm submitting this post to Cook and Celebrate (Christmas 2014), organized by Yen from Eat your heart out, Diana from Domestic Goddess Wannabe and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids.

And



23 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks Joyce ... well I need more practice ... ^-^!

      Delete
  2. Hi Karen,

    Yeah... I know that decorating cookies can be very tiring... Great choice that you got yourself an assistance. I did the same when I baked my cupcakes too :p

    Zoe

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Zoe, oh yes, decorate sprinkles and pearls on cupcakes frosting will look pretty too!

      Delete
  3. From far and in a glance, I thought these cookies are Kuih Bangkit!! LOL.... Decorated up these cookies looks more presentable and nicer looking if these were to be given as a gifts.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I also can finish decorate the cookies by own...hahaha
    Pretty & nice cookies,i'm waiting for the delivery service :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. sorry,can=can't,type too fast..hahaha

      Delete
    2. Hee hee ... thanks Fion. Opps ! no delivery service lah ^-^!

      Delete
  5. Karen, your cookies are very pretty! I am not as patient as you to do such delicate decorations hee..hee...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Phong Hong, thanks. I'm not patient either .... hee hee.. just wanna have some fun. But in my next attempt, probably I'll just spread the frosting and dip the cookies top on a bowl of pearls or sprinkles ^-^!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Karen,
    Lovely cookies! So festive and pretty!
    I am lousy when it comes to decorating anything, even cookies!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Joyce, thanks for the compliment.
      Hee ... hee ..I'm not that good in decorating my cakes and cookies too.

      Delete
  8. Hi Karen, your cookies are lovely. I am not good in decorating in cookies.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Cecilia, I still have room for improvement in decorating my bakes. Let's 加油!

      Delete
  9. i am smiling when i read that you dropped the tiny pearls many times. Dont hv to be so delicate to use tweezers, use hands! LOL!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hee hee .. Lena, I tried using fingers to pickup the pearls but my fingers blocked the vision on the position where I want to place the pearls. . Lol :(

      Delete
  10. Karen,
    Your piping for your vanilla sugar cookes look very good for a 1st timer. I haven't tried my hands at icing cookies, no time, no patience and worst still , my hands are not steady! And I get pek-chek when I hear my baby cry, so no piping or icing for another year or 2. :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Miss B, my hands are not steady too ... hee hee... small quantity ok lah but will definitely 'chiu sen' if piping for larger quantity of cookies.

    ReplyDelete
  12. They look pretty, you did a good job! Thanks again for linking to our Christmas event.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi Karen I was thinking of baking cookies with my almost 5-year-old. I think I shall now after seeing yours!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi Karen,
    Lovely cookies! You're a brilliant mum to get your sweet girl to be your assistant. Save up lots of time.
    mui

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi Karen,
    This made a perfect Christmas gift.

    ReplyDelete

Sharing some of my favourite recipes, some new baking/cooking "adventures". Please feel free to post your comments for my improvement. Would be great to connect with you and learn some of your recipes too. Thanks for 'dropping by'.