'Tis the season to break out the rolling pin and sugar cookie dough, and let the kids go crazy with the sprinkles.
Many folks are looking for new and simple ways to be creative as they slather frosting onto festive shapes -- and Wilton cake method instructor Taryn Wood, of Roy, has some tips.
First, she said, it is important to decide if you want crunchy or soft sugar cookies. To get the perfect 1/8-inch thickness for her crunchy recipe, she uses two wooden barbecue skewers as a guide. Wood places them about 12 inches apart, puts the dough in between, and she is able to achieve perfect uniformity by rolling until the pin is flush with the skewers.
She does the same thing with her soft cookie recipe, except she uses 1/4-inch dowels to make them thicker.
Second, Wood always uses parchment paper on her cookie sheets for easy cleanup. This also eliminates the need to spray or grease the pans. She allows the pans to cool for at least 2 minutes between rotations to ensure even baking time for each batch of cookies.
Finally, she has some advice for frosting. She prefers a thin, glossy frosting that dries hard and shiny.
Wood always uses color gels to create vibrant hues. A set of Wilton color gel lasts her for years and if they start to become gummy, she thins them with glycerine.
Wood was interested in cake decorating even as a child and had a grandmother who taught her when she was a teenager. As an adult, she became certified to be an instructor, but stayed away from cookies because she figured they were too time-consuming.
This is the first year she has transferred her cake-decorating skills to cookies. She's been pleasantly surprised. "I didn't realize how much fun I'd have with cookies, and since I like to eat cookies, I'm excited to learn more," Wood said.
The circle
To keep it simple, Wood decided to stick with two basic shapes, stars and circles.
The simplest cookie she makes is a snowball, by spreading white frosting over a round cookie. This is easily transformed into a snowman head by adding a face and ear muffs after the first layer has dried (see glossy frosting recipe below). She uses a fine-tipped applicator for the details.
A little bit of color and frosting ribbons transform round cookies into presents.
Or, using the white as a backdrop, Wood pipes on a blue snowflake by crisscrossing two X's and then adding V's and dots to the ends of the lines.
The circle is a great backdrop for a Christmas wreath. Using a thicker tip, Wood pipes on green loops, then uses a fine tip to add holly berries and ribbons. It's also the perfect shape for creating Santa Claus' jolly face, complete with a beard and hat.
One of Wood's favorite techniques is to frost round cookies with one color, add thin lines of another color, then drag a toothpick across the colors to create delicate designs like a Christmas tree ornament.
She also makes Christmas trees with sweeping lines of green frosting on a round cookie frosted white. By adding colorful sprinkles, the tree appears to twinkle with holiday lights.
An alternative to frosting the cookies is to place a small cookie cutter in the center of the circle, shake some colored sugar sprinkles onto the dough before baking, remove the cookie cutter and bake. The sugar will melt and leave a colorful picture in the center of the cookie.
The star
Wood also likes the flexibility of star-shaped cookies.
Like the circles, she uses them as a backdrop for snowflakes.
And, she makes little fat Santas by using one point for the head, two for the arms and hands, two for the legs and feet, and the center for the belly.
By frosting the star red and piping a circle of yellow in the center, she creates a poinsettia.
Finally, to make a creative edible centerpiece, Wood dyes the dough green and cuts out stars in six sizes from large to small. She covers the green stars in white frosting and stacks them, starting with the largest on the bottom, and rotating each star just a little as she goes until she has built a snow-covered Christmas tree.
For now, Wood is enjoying the versatility of the circle and star shapes when it comes to cookie decorating -- and she's looking forward to using her imagination to come up with more new ideas.
Her advice when trying something new: "If you make a mistake, just eat the cookie. Or, scrape the frosting off with a toothpick and try again."
Roll-Out Cookie
This recipes makes a crunchy sugar cookie.
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon no-color almond extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a mixing bowl, cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extracts. In another bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Do not chill dough. Divide into two balls. On a floured surface, roll each ball into a circle, approximately 12 inches wide and 1/8-inch thick. Dip cookie cutter in flour before each use. Bake cookies on ungreased cookie sheet 6-7 minutes until cookies are lightly browned. Makes 3 dozen.
Soft Sugar Cookies
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut shortening into flour mixture. In another bowl, beat 2 eggs. Add milk and vanilla to eggs. Add flour mixture until moist. Knead until smooth. Roll out 1/2 inch thick (adding a little flour). Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
Glossy Frosting
1/4 cup butter or margarine
4 cups powdered sugar (1 pound)
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-2 teaspoons milk
Dash of salt
1 teaspoon almond flavoring
Beat ingredients together. Color as needed. Makes 2 cups.
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