Stained Glass Sugar Cookies

When it's time for sweet, sugary beauty to adorn the tabletop I make these Stained Glass Sugar Cookies!  Any sugar cookie recipe will do.

They're so much fun to decorate, but may be a bit time consuming.  I love making them

 

and I really like eating them.

I decorate the snowflakes by first outlining with white icing. Let them set.  Butter inside outline with teal blue icing. Let set.  Use cake decorating bag and small tip to draw white icing lines inside blue and immediately pour granulated sugar over the cookies and tamp off excess.  That's how I create the snowy centers.

This year, the Hubby got into the fun.  He decorated the trees below with sugar and candies.  Sugar cookies are usually not this dark, but that's the way the Hubby likes them... Crisp!

The trick to having non-drippy icing lines, is to make a first pass OUTLINE with a stiff batch and let it "set" for atleast an hour before icing the interior colors. You can also use meringue powder, but I don't like it.  I used a lot of it this summer practicing for my son's wedding cake, and I don't like the pitchy taste it gives.

Stained Glass Sugar Cookie Icing Recipe:  

1 cup powdered confectioner's sugar (sifted)

2 teaspoons milk

3-4 teaspoons light corn syrup (3 tsp for "stiff batch" and 4 tsp for "buttering" cookie tops)

1/2 teaspoon almond extract or a good quality pure vanilla extract (vanilla will impart an aftertaste)

food colors (I prefer gels, they give vivid colors)

I mix well in my Kitchenaid until it's shiny and pliable.  It will stiffen as you work with it.  I soften it up again by placing it in a microwavable container and heat for 20 seconds. This is not preferred, but in my experience, it does not damage the icing.  I leave them out on the counter in a safe place overnight  to ensure the icing has fully hardened before plating or packing up.

(Each batch is enough to outline about 45-50 cookies.)  I make a separate batch for each color.  I "butter" the colored icing within the outline using a butter knife.  It works for me.  If you're a perfectionist, use a cake decorating bag, a small round tip to make outlines, and a flat tip to fill in the outline later.  Enjoy!