Holiday Sugar Cookies and DIY Colored Sugar

Recipe by The View From the Great Island

These quick and easy Holiday Sugar Cookies are fun to decorate and so delicious. I will show you how to make your own diy colored sugar, too!

Ingredients

• cookies
• 1 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 3 cups flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• royal icing
• ¼ cup water
• ⅛ cup meringue powder
• 2½ cups confectioner's sugar
• colored sugar
• raw or granulated sugar
• gel or paste food coloring

Method

1. To make the colored sugar, measure out 1/4 cup sugar into a small bowl and add a drop or two of gel coloring to it. Stir to combine completely. Spread the sugar out on a paper towel to dry, and then break up any lumps with the back of a spoon before storing the sugar in a small jar.
2. To make the cookies, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and extracts.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together to blend. Mix it into the butter and sugar mixture until the dough comes together.
4. Turn out on to a floured surface and bring together into a ball. Divide the ball in half and flatten each half into a disk. Wrap the disks in plastic and refrigerate for an hour. (Or overnight)
5. Preheat the oven to 350F while the dough is chilling.
6. Roll out the dough to about 1/8-1/4 inch thick and cut out the shapes. Put them on a baking sheet lined with silocone or parchment paper and bake for about 7-9 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before removing them to a cooling rack.
7. Frost the cookies when completely cool.
8. To make the frosting, beat together the water and meringue powder until combined. Beat in the sugar and continue beating until it is glossy and smooth. If the frosting seems too thin, add a little more sugar.
9. Spoon the frosting into a large zip lock baggie and zip closed.
10. When ready to use, cut a very small snip off one corner. Work with one cookie at a time, and pipe a line of frosting along the outer edge, then pipe more into the inside of the cookie. Take a small paintbrush to gently ease the frosting into corners. Sprinkle on your decorations while the cookie is wet. then set to dry while you work on the other cookies.

View the recipe instructions at The View From the Great Island