Halloween Sugar Cookies

 

Halloween is right around the corner, so I took the opportunity to practice my sugar cookie skills. I have so many cookies cutters but these are the first batch I've ever made that I've been happy with. I actually found it quite relaxing when it came time to sit down and ice! These can be time consuming but the Hummingbird Bakery recipe doesn't require any chilling time. To break up the process, I chilled the dough overnight after step two, but then had to wait ages for it to become soft enough to roll anyway. Below is the original recipe.

 

 

 

 

 

Sugar cookies + royal icing (adapted from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook)

 

200g butter, room temperature

280g caster sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla

1 egg, plus 1 egg white

400g plain flour

Pinch of salt

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp lemon juice

310g icing sugar

2-6 tsp water

Food colouring

 

1. Preheat oven to 170°C. Line baking trays with greaseproof paper.
2. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla until just combined. Add 1 egg and mix well. Add flour, salt and cream of tartar and mix until combined.
3. Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour and roll out the dough with a rolling pin until 1/2-3/4cm thick. Cut out shapes and place on trays 2cm apart. Re-roll dough as necessary.
4. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool on tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. To make royal icing, whisk egg white and lemon juice together. Gradually sift in icing sugar, mixing well after each addition. Whisk until stiff peaks form.
6. If necessary, add 1/2 tsp water at a time to make a consistency that can be piped.
7. Separate into bowls and add food colouring as desired. Transfer to squeeze bottles (my preference) or piping bags with a plain tip to ice cooled cookies.