Last week, NYC public schools had a snow day. Snackhands thought a great way to spend this unexpected free time would be to bake sugar cookies, an experiment I have put off for way too long. That's why it's nice to be a teacher -- you can bake ANYTHING, and you have willing taste-testers who will gush all over whatever you feed them. I love a good sugar cookie, but hadn't found the right time to test them out myself. The snow day was pretty close to Valentine's day, so voila! I used this recipe for the cookies (I did one and a half recipes and wound up with about a hundred cookies) and this one for the glaze. I decorated them with royal icing (recipe below). They turned out pretty awesome, and the girls were THRILLED.
Anyone who wants to hire me and my soccer mom abilities can email me at snackhands@nyc.rr.com. For an extra fee, you can tell the other soccer moms that, yes, you made and decorated the cookies yourself!
Royal Icing (great for decorating because it dries hard):
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1 pound powdered sugar, sifted
Food coloring, optional
Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually beat in sugar, then beat at high speed until very thick and glossy. (Beaters should leave sharpt, firm peaks.) Add food coloring to desired effect. Cover bowl with damp cloth to prevent "crusting."
*This recipe makes enough to decorate an 8, 9 or 10 inch cake. Or to decorate 100 cookies.
