Recipe: Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

Sugar Cookie recipe is courtesy of Linda Lampman; Royal Icing recipe adapted from CopperGifts.com.

Yield: 2-4 dozen, depending on size of cookie
Time to refrigerate dough: Several hours or overnight
Active Time: Depends on intricacies of cookie; 30 minutes to over an hour
Baking Time: 9-12 minutes

Sugar Cookie Ingredients

• 4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup salted butter, softened 
• 1 1/2 cups granulate sugar 
• 1 large egg 
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Oil for greasing cooking sheets
• Cookie cutters, as desired
• Icing (recipe follows)

Sugar Cookie Directions

1. Sift flour with baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.
2. In large bowl of electric mixer at medium speed, beat butter, sugar, and egg until light and fluffy.
3. At low speed, beat in sour cream and vanilla until smooth.
4. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until well combined.
5. Remove dough with rubber scraper, and form dough into a ball; wrap in plastic wrap or baggie. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.
6. When ready to roll out dough, divide into 6 equal parts. Refrigerate parts you are not working with.
7. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil cooking sheets.
8. On well-floured surface, roll dough, one part at a time, to 1/4-inch thickness. With selected cookie cutters, cut dough into desired shape. Transfer cookies to oiled cooking sheet with a spatula.
9. On center rack of oven, bake 9-12 minutes or until cookies are golden. Let cool 1 minute on cookie sheet, then carefully slide off sheet onto baking rack to cool completely before frosting.

Royal Icing* Ingredients

• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons meringue powder 
• 1/4 cup warm water, plus additional if necessary
• 1/2-1 teaspoon vanilla, lemon, mint, orange or almond extract 
• Wilton concentrated paste icing (see above Shopping Details)

Royal Icing Directions

Place sugar and meringue powder in a large mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup warm water, extract and beat on slow to medium speed 8-12 minutes, until icing thickens and can stand in peaks. Beat in small amounts of additional warm water until you reach the desired consistency. To add color, stir in tiny amounts of paste icing until desired shade is achieved.

* Royal Icing is best for sugar cookies because it dries hard.

This recipe was written by Peggy Lampman and originally posted on AnnArbor.com on Sept. 8, 2011.