I’m not one of those fancy cookie decorators.
I promise.
But, I do have a few tips about how those fancy cookie decorators get their designs so pretty and perfect. And of course, a recipe for some delicious cookies with royal icing.
How to Make Sugar Skull Cookies
Sugar Skull Cookie Recipe
Cookie Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until smooth and not grainy.
2. Add all eggs at once, and continue to mix.
3. Add vanilla and continue mixing.
4. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add to wet mixture.
5. Continue mixing on low speed until all of the ingredients are thoroughly blended.
6. Make the dough into a ball, then wrap it in plastic wrap (completely covering the entire dough ball).
7. Put dough ball in the refrigerator for about 6 hours (overnight works well, too!)
8. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
9. Pull the dough out and let it sit and soften so you can work with it.
10. Spread flour over your work station and on your rolling pin, and work some into the batter, if needed.
11. Roll the dough onto the cutting board and use the cookie cutter to cut your cookies.
12. Line the cookie sheet with parchment paper, and use a metal spatula to move the cut skull cookies to the cookie sheet.
13. Bake at 325 degrees for 8 minutes.
14. Take the cookies off the cookie sheet and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Icing Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients except food coloring into a mixing bowl, and mix on medium speed for about 4 minutes.
2. If icing is not peaking, add 1/4C powdered sugar.
To decorate the cookies:
1. Divide the icing into the number of bowls (or colors) that you’ll use.
2. Add 2-3 drops of each gel food coloring to each bowl of icing. Stir well.
3. Spoon each color of icing into individual frosting bags with #5 tips. Twist the open end of the bag to push the icing to the tip. You could also use icing writers.
4. Locate a picture of the Sugar Skull or Day of the Dead cookies on Google and print it out. Using the picture as an example, draw the outline on the cookie using a Food Writer. Of course, you can always be creative and design your own!
5. Outline each of the skull cookies in white. You’ll go back later and fill them in with watered down icing.
6. Outline the designs first with your colored frostings, then fill the closed designs in with the same color.
7. When you’re done with the facial designs and they’re dry, add 1t of water to your white icing. Slowly fill in the rest of the face up to the outline and let the frosting set.
How To Make Sugar Skull Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie Ingredients:
- 5 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
Sugar Skull cookie cutters
Royal Icing Ingredients:
- 2 egg whites
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
Gel food coloring
Instructions
Cookie Directions:
- In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until smooth and not grainy.
- Add all eggs at once, and continue to mix.
- Add vanilla and continue mixing.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add to wet mixture.
- Continue mixing on low speed until all of the ingredients are thoroughly blended.
- Make the dough into a ball, then wrap it in plastic wrap (completely covering the entire dough ball).
- Put dough ball in the refrigerator for about 6 hours (overnight works well, too!)
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Pull the dough out and let it sit and soften so you can work with it.
- Spread flour over your work station and on your rolling pin, and work some into the batter, if needed.
- Roll the dough onto the cutting board and use the cookie cutter to cut your cookies.
- Line the cookie sheet with parchment paper, and use a metal spatula to move the cut skull cookies to the cookie sheet.
- Bake at 325 degrees for 8 minutes.
- Take the cookies off the cookie sheet and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Icing Directions:
- Combine all ingredients except food coloring into a mixing bowl, and mix on medium speed for about 4 minutes.
- If icing is not peaking, add ¼ cup powdered sugar.
To decorate the cookies:
- Divide the icing into the number of bowls (or colors) that you'll use.
- Add 2-3 drops of each gel food coloring to each bowl of icing. Stir well.
- Spoon each color of icing into individual frosting bags with #5 tips. Twist the open end of the bag to push the icing to the tip. You could also use icing writers.
- Locate a picture of the Sugar Skull or Day of the Dead cookies on Google and print it out. Using the picture as an example, draw the outline on the cookie using a Food Writer. Of course, you can always be creative and design your own!
- Outline each of the skull cookies in white. You'll go back later and fill them in with watered down icing.
- Outline the designs first with your colored frostings, then fill the closed designs in with the same color.
- When you're done with the facial designs and they're dry, add 1 teaspoon of water to your white icing. Slowly fill in the rest of the face up to the outline and let the frosting set.
(I apologize if my writing is weird, inglish is not my native language.) The frosting will never be put in the oven or anything, right? I ask because the the frosting has raw egg on it, and I thought eating raw egg was dangerous for the health.
How much vanilla?
Ack!! 1 tsp :)
My icing won’t peak?