Easter Chick Sugar Cookies

 

What do you do in celebration of spring? Make sugar cookies! This bake was also an opportunity for me to try out royal icing. Royal icing is generally used to decorate cookies, as after it is piped it dries to a hard, smooth finish. The road was a little bumpy and tedious, but in the end, 15 frosted chicks were waddling around my kitchen... into our mouths. Happy spring.

INGREDIENTS
Sugar Cookies
-1 1/2 cups flour
-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
-pinch salt
-1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, at room temp.
-3/4 cups sugar
-1 large egg
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1/8 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
Royal Icing
-2 egg whites
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
-2 cups (+) powdered sugar
-yellow and red food coloring
-1/4 cup chocolate chips
-1 teaspoon vegetable oil

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
-stand mixer with whisk and paddle attachment/large bowl with hand mixer
-2 1/2 inch cookie cutter
-2 cookie sheets with silicone liners, or greased parchment paper
-piping bag + thin writing/piping tip

DIRECTIONS (makes about 15 cookies and 2 cups icing)
Original recipe credit Rosanna Pansino (These recipes were halved)

Sugar Cookies
1. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter until soft.
3. Add sugar and beat for 3-5 minutes until fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
4. Add the egg and beat well.
5. Beat in extracts.
6. Mix in the dry ingredients until fully combined.
7. Shape dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour and up to overnight.
8. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 1/4 thickness.

9. Cut out cookies using a 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter. Place on greased/lined cookie sheet, about an inch apart.
10. Bake 12-15 minutes at 350℉, rotating front to back halfway through. The cookies are done when they are hard but not browned.
11. Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack until fully cooled.

Royal Icing
1. In a large bowl, whisk egg whites and vanilla extract until frothy.
2. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time to reach the desired consistency (not to runny that you can't pipe it).
3. Add yellow food coloring one drop at a time until you reach the color you like. Don't color orange yet.
Assembly
1. Transfer the icing to a piping bag fitted with the thin tip. Leave about half a cup in the bowl for later.
2. Pipe a ring of icing on the edge of the cookies. Once dried, it will a form a bridge so that the frosting doesn't seep out.
3. "Flood" the cookies by filling in the circle. Use a toothpick to smooth out bubbles and gaps.
4. Let dry until hardened (will only take a few minutes).
5. Color rest of the royal icing with a little red food coloring until orange. Transfer to a fresh piping bag, with same tip.
6. Pipe a beak and wings on the cookies.
7. Melt chocolate and oil in the microwave. Let cool.
8. Transfer chocolate to another piping bag, also fitted with same tip.
9. Pipe eyes. Let dry completely.

 

Scrumptiously,
Tiny Mangoes 💕