Photobucket

Ice-Cream Sugar Cookie Tutorial

Ok here it is… my first Little Ink tutorial. I made these cute ice-cream sugar cookies for my daughter’s kindy gala tomorrow and thought it would be fun to share a few of my tips with you all…. hope you enjoy!

First start by making the sugar cookies in your desired shape. I decided to use this fantastic ice-cream cutter I discovered in a set that I bought my daughter for play-doh a few years ago. Be on the look out… you can often find cool cutters in unexpected places… I’ve even seen somebody use the bottom of a crystal glass pressed into the cookie and it looked amazing!

There are quite a few sugar cookie recipes out there but I’ve found this to be the most reliable. It’s really great for cookie pops or intricate shapes as it has minimal spreading in the cooking process.

NOTE:  If you are planning on making the cookies a few days before, store them in an airtight container un-iced as I’ve found they can get a little soft if you store them too long after icing due to the moisture. 

THIS RECIPE MAKES ABOUT 25 COOKIES (depending on size)

  • 200g unsalted butter
  • 200g castor sugar
  • 1 egg lightly beaten
  • 400g plain flour, plus more for dusting
  1. With paddle attachment cream the butter, sugar and vanilla until well mixed and just creamy in texture. Do not overwork or the cookies will spread during baking.
  2. Beat in the egg until well combined. Add the flour and mix on low speed until a dough forms.
  3. Gather into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for ½ hr.
  4. Place the dough on a floured surface and knead briefly. Roll out to desired thickness and cut out shapes.
  5. Bake at 180 for 8-12min or until slightly golden. Cool on wire rack.

Once the cookies are completely cool you can get into the fun part…decorating! I use this basic recipe from Wilton using their ColorFlow powder for my icing.

  1. Add half the water to the icing sugar and powder and start mixing…slowly adding in the remainder of the water as you mix. 
  2. Continue on med-high for approximately 5 minutes until it starts to look glossy.

NOTE: Be careful not to add too much water. A great test that you’ve reached the right consistency is; dip a spoon in your icing and after you pull it out you want the crest of icing to disappear into a smooth surface after about 10-15 seconds.

Keep the icing covered (I use a damp paper towel) as it can quickly form a crusty surface as it starts to harden.

This icing is also great for making little flowers and other decorations to use at a later date. All you need to do is make a thicker mixture of icing suitable for piping and, once hardened, store your pieces in an airtight container.

TIPS ON ICING

1.     Practice! :)

2.     Start on the outer edge…. create an outline and then slowly work your way to the centre as shown in the pic below.

3.     If you very gently tap the cookie and wiggle it from side to side the icing tends to settle to a smooth surface quicker.

4.     If you’re adding hundreds and thousands or other decorations make sure you do it relatively soon after icing (before the surface starts to harden as they won’t stick).

Once the icing is all done you can have fun creating a cute little package for your cookies while they harden. I wrapped these in some cellophane bags and a little paper card. Little Ink offers lots of cute boxes to store your creations in…simply add a bit of bakers twine and you’re ready to go!

 

  1. curlyann reblogged this from littleinkblog