Nothing says "made with love" like painted cookies. Try our easy watercolor icing recipe this Valentine's Day, using our Natural Frosting/Icing Mix with Sprinkles!
MAKES: 15-20 COOKIES
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
COOKIES
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
ROYAL ICING
3 ½ cups powdered sugar (1 pound), plus more as needed
½ cup egg whites
1 tsp extract, vanilla or lemon (optional)
Color Kitchen Pink Color
Directions
COOKIES
In a stand mixer with a beater attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on high speed for 3-4 minutes.
Add the eggs and vanilla to the butter mixture and beat on low speed until combined.
Add the flour, salt, and baking powder and beat until all ingredients are combined in a smooth dough.
Form the dough into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge to cool for 1-2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
When the dough is done chilling, roll it out into a ½-inch thick sheet. Cut out cookie shapes using cookie cutters of your choice.
Place the cookies on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before decorating with icing.
ICING
Sift powdered sugar through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl to remove lumps.
Place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Whip on medium-high speed until foamy, about 2 minutes.
Turn the mixer off. Add half of the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until the powdered sugar is completely dissolved. Add the remaining powdered sugar and continue mixing 1 to 2 minutes.
Mix on high and whip until the icing is smooth and slightly thickened and holds a soft peak. Add more powdered sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, if icing is still loose.
Decrease the mixer speed to low and add extract.
Icing is ready to use. For flooding, thin out with water, adding 1 teaspoon increments until desired consistency is reached.
Decorate cookies with the icing and let completely dry before painting.
In a ramekin, add the pink color packet and a couple drops of water and mix until combined.
Use a paintbrush to paint the pink watercolor onto the cookies as desired. Top the cookies with nonpareil sprinkles while the watercolor is still wet.