CityView Magazine - Fayetteville, NC
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/9336
Below | The best part about baking Christmas cookies is eating them. Kylie Aldridge enjoys the fi nished product. Sugar Cookies 2 C flour 1½ tsp baking powder ¼ tsp salt 1 stick margarine 1 stick butter 1 C sugar 1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp butter flavoring 1 egg 4 tsp milk Sift and combine dry ingredients. Beat margarine, butter and sugar until creamed. Add vanilla and butter flavoring (found in craft stores). Add egg and beat until light and fluffy. Add milk. Slowly add dry ingredients. Roll dough into a ball, wrap in wax paper and refrigerate. On a floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into shapes. Place shapes on a cookie sheet using a flat metal spatula or roll and cut dough right on the cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 6-8 minutes. A tip: Donna sometimes rolls her dough right on the cookie sheet. By using a fl at tray (no edges) and cutting her shapes right there, she eliminates any tricky maneuvers shifting cookies from counter to cookie sheet. If young children have trouble rolling out dough – either too thick or too thin – craft stores sell special rings that slide over the ends of the rolling pin and keep it steady. Royal Icing 4 C powdered sugar 3 Tbs meringue powder* 6 Tbs. water ½ tsp. almond fl avoring Paste food coloring* Beat sugar, powder and water for five minutes. Add almond flavoring. Water may be added sparingly, if needed. Donna recommends a thinner coat of icing for the base color. Separate icing into smaller bowls for accent colors, as desired. Use a toothpick to add coloring to each bowl. Using small paintbrushes (found at craft stores) for the base color gives cookies a smooth and finished look. Allow an hour to dry. By using cake-decorating bags and couplers (also found at craft stores) or a simple plastic baggie, add icing. Add sprinkles or colored sugars as desired. Allow one to two hours to dry before packaging. *Meringue powder is a substitute for traditional egg whites. Donna recommends paste food coloring over liquid for better color and consistency. Both may be purchased at craft stores.