Shades Of Blue Cookies

Tonight is the first performance of my friend Sharon Whitney's play, "Eleanor Roosevelt-Across a Barrier of Fear," and I have the honor of making treats for the event including these pretty shades of blue sugar cookies.

If you would like to attend the play, here are the details:

Trinitarian Sharon Whitney's acclaimed play, "Eleanor Roosevelt-Across a Barrier of Fear," starring Jane Van Boskirk, is scheduled for two performances, Friday, October 25 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, October 26 at 1:00 p.m. in Kempton Hall. To reserve a seat, visit www.trinity-episcopal.org. Seating is limited. A $10 donation at the door is suggested. This is an offering from the Cathedral Arts Committee.  


Eleanor Roosevelt's favorite color was blue so I think these scalloped edged cookies are just the thing to serve. And, Eleanor was a no-nonsense woman and I have a hunch she would appreciate the simple design and the ease of making them.

It really was easy. All I did was bake small rectangle cookies, tint some royal icing four shades of blue and then outline and fill.

Once again, these cookies show that a no-frills design is often the best.

Here's how to make them:

Bake a batch of cookies.

Make a batch of royal icing and divide it evenly among four bowls.

Get a bottle of blue food coloring. I used royal blue #102 AmeriColor gel paste.

Add the coloring to the royal icing by putting one squirt in the first bowl, two in the second bowl, three in the third and four in the fourth. This is the easiest way to get nice graduations of color.

Four shades of blue.

Outline the cookies with each of the four blues using a #1 pastry tip and icing that has been thinned to piping consistency (think toothpaste). I followed the shape of the cookies and made scalloped outlines.

Fill the cookies with a different shade of blue using a #1 tip and flood consistency royal icing. Use a skewer or toothpick to ease the icing to the border. If icing #1 is the lightest and icing #4 is the darkest, pair #1 with #3 and #2 with #4.

Let the cookies dry completely before serving or packaging.