I have so many recipes for sugar cookies and they are all delicious. Every holiday deserves a tasty sugar cookie! We especially love making these old fashioned sugar cookies so we can use a flooding icing to decorate with because they hold their shape well and do not soften much with icing like other cookies do. I love a soft sugar cookie, but these remind me of cookies baked in a wood stove — a bit more crunchy (especially if over baked) but one with a tasty vanilla flavor and the icing adds a nice sweetness to this cookie.
This recipe is versatile and can be made for any holiday! They can be colored, decorated with sprinkles or colored frosting — you really can do anything to make it festive!
Today, we are making Valentine sugar cookies with flooding icing. At first, we always thought flooding cookies was complicated, but as long as you have the right consistency of icing and take your time, you can create beautiful cookies. We are new to flooding cookies, so our cookies may not be masterpieces, but they look good enough to eat….and are simply scrumptious!!
Let’s get started!
These cookies are flaky and delicious, but definitely are crunchy if over baked which makes them perfect with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee!
First to make the dough. Once butter and sugar is creamed, add egg and vanilla. Mix well and add flour, salt and leaveners. Stir well.
Add more flour if dough is too sticky. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
Flour counter and dough. Roll out. Do not roll too thin.
Using cookie cutters, cut dough into your favorite shapes. We are using 3 sizes of hearts. With dough scraps, re-roll and keep cutting until dough is gone.
Place cookies on cookie sheet. Bake at 350F for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden.
Once baked, cool completely before decorating.
Make flooding icing. The icing will need to be thin, but not too thin. Combine icing sugar, water and vanilla to make a pourable icing, but thick enough it does not pour over the sides of the cookie.
First, pipe the outside and let it dry slightly. Spoon icing in the centre to fill. I lightly shake it so it spreads evenly and looks smooth.
For wet on wet designs, work quickly. For hearts, pipe dots onto the flooded cookie and then drag the dot downwards to create a heart.
For wet on dry designs, flood cookie and wait until it dries. Then pipe your design over top.
Here are our delicious Valentine cookies that my daughters and I decorated. There’s some hearts, dots, marbling and leopard designs. Any which way they are decorated, they are delicious! Kids love decorating cookies — get the whole family together and decorate some yummy cookies! They are all unique – and that’s the best part!!
Sugar Cookies
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
Combine butter and sugar until creamed well. Add egg and vanilla. Beat well. Add flour, salt and leaveners. Stir until dough comes together, adding more flour if dough is too sticky. Flatten into a disc and refrigerate 10 minutes. Roll and cut into shapes. Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350F for 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly golden. Let cool completely before frosting. If wanting to use sprinkles, once cookies are on cookie sheet, lightly brush with milk and then scatter your favorite sprinkles before baking.
*I often roll the dough, cut shapes and then refrigerate 10 minutes.
Flooding Icing
1 cup icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla
4 tbsp water
Combine icing sugar, vanilla and water together. Add more water until you get the right consistency – it should be able to be piped through a bag, and spooned onto the cookie without being too thick or too thin. Pipe an outline first and let dry slightly. Spoon icing into middle and spread or shake until smooth and covers cookie. Decorate as desired.
enjoy from Our City Homestead to yours