Birthday Cookie

This cute double-decker Birthday Cookie is so simple to make, decorate and customize with a personal message. All you need to make it is cookie dough, royal icing and an edible ink marker.

When it came to cutting the parts for the cookie, I used a knife and cut them freehand. I cut a large 6-inch square for the base and for the candle, a thin strip of dough and a teardrop shape for the flame. 

The cookies parts before baking.

Candle close-up.

Here's how I decorated and assembled the cookie:

Outline and flood the base cookie with royal icing and set it aside to dry completely.

With a paint brush, paint on the dark pink and gold royal icing for the candle and the flame and let these dry completely before attaching them to the dried base cookie. I even added icing to the sides of the candle and flame cookies so that there were no bare edges to be seen after they were attached to the base. Let the cookie dry for another hour or so until the "icing glue" is set.

Then just use an edible ink marker to write a birthday greeting and that's all there is to it.

A side view of the finished cookie that's for our good friend Elise's 15th birthday.

How To Flood A Cookie With Royal Icing

Here's a quick video with tips on how to flood a sugar cookie with royal icing. It's really easy once you practice a few times. Watch the video and make the "Happy Spring" cookies in the post below.

Cookies To Celebrate Spring

The weather today in Portland was so warm and wonderful that I felt a "Happy Spring" cookie was in order.


These cookies came together super fast — just one batch of my favorite cookie dough (see my "Making The Dough" post from March 29th) and one batch of royal icing.

After the cookies have baked and cooled, outline and flood the cookies with royal icing. Use a skewer to help move the icing to fill the cookies.

 

Let the icing dry for at least one hour. Free hand your flowers, being careful not to drag the tip over the icing. Always let the icing fall into place.

Add a bright colored center and they're done. Leave your cookies out until the icing is completely dry. Depending on humidity this can take up to 24 hours. Once dry, they're ready to wrap and give.
Happy Spring!

Making The Dough

The first step in making decorated Easter cookies is to make and chill the dough.

I always use my favorite cutout cookie recipe that's from pastry chef Emily Luchetti and was featured in the December 2004 issue of Sunset Magazine.

The reason I love this recipe is that it's simple and contains no baking powder which I thinks distorts the shape of cutout cookies. I like clean crisp edges. Another bonus is that it's not too sweet of a dough which is important when a cookie is going to be coated with royal icing.

The only alternation I made to the original recipe is the addition of 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract and the use of unsalted butter.

Here's the recipe:

Sugar Cookie Cutouts
Makes about 4 dozen 2-inch cookies

1 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

 In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until blended, then beat on high speed until creamy. Add egg, vanilla and almond extract and beat until well blended. Add flour and salt; beat on low speed until combined, then on medium speed until well blended. Divide dough into two equal portions. Place dough between sheets of plastic wrap. Press evenly into a disk and chill until dough is firm, at least 20 minutes. Working with one portion of dough at a time (keep remaining chilled), peel off plastic wrap and roll on a floured board until 1/4 inch thick. Cut with floured cutters and transfer onto bare baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees (325 for convection) for 7 to 9 minutes or until firm to the touch and slightly darker brown around edges. Cool on wire racks.