Santa Claus Cookies (Cut-Out Butter Cookies with Royal Icing) 圣诞老人糖霜牛油饼干

制作这批应节饼干是星期天早上用完早餐后才有的想法。这是我第一次尝试用糖霜装饰饼干，虽然很花时间，但是挺好玩的。制作时不觉得累，倒是完成后才发现腰酸背痛。

 

等到糖霜全部干透收入盒子后，我又马上出门去买包装材料，然后回家一个个分装，70个圣诞老人糖霜牛油饼干从烘饼干到装饰到包装至少花了我6个小时，希望收到的人感受到我的心意。

在制作饼干时Lucius就吵着要吃，他说“Mummy, I want to eat I love you”。等到装饰完成后他又说“Mummy, I want to eat the Santa Claus”。是不是很可爱？



*Blinking Eyes* Santa Claus

This is my first attempt of royal icing. I made about 70pcs of decorated cookies, though it was tiring, I had fun and enjoyed doing it. I tried to write down step-by-step detail to help beginners like me who would like to attend to this cookies design. I may be wrong because this is my first attempt, so please correct me if I am wrong in certain step. Thanks.

Santa Claus Cookies

   Cut-Out Butter Cookies

   Ingredients:
   150g salted butter (soften at room temperature)
   120g sugar
   75g eggs (lightly beaten)
   ½ tsp vanilla extract
   350g low protein flour aka cake flour

   Method:

1. Beat butter and sugar till pale and fluffy.
2. Add eggs and vanilla extract, beat till well mixed.
3. Sift in flour and fold in using a spatula then lightly knead to form soft dough.
4. Wrap with cling wrap and refrigerate for 15 mins.
5. Roll out the dough (suggest to keep half portion in the fridge) and cut out using a heart shape cookie cutter. Lift up the cookie dough with a flat spatula and transfer to baking sheet carefully. For the size of cookie cutter I use, this recipe yields 70+pcs.
6. Bake in preheated oven (middle upper rack) at 170C for about 12 mins till cookies become firm (not brown), turn off the heat, keep cookies in oven and use remaining heat to bake the cookies till light brown. You need to monitor very closely especially the last 5 mins (I actually prefer mY cookies to be slightly brown than pale).
7. Cool on wire rack completely before decorating.

   Royal Icing

   Ingredients:
   1 egg white
   +/-200g icing sugar
   ½ tsp vinegar or lemon juice
   Red colouring
   Cocoa powder

   Method:

1. Beat egg white and vinegar/lemon juice till frothy, sift in icing sugar gradually and whisk to combine until reaching a thick yet runny consistency. The more icing sugar you add the thicker the icing will be. So you can adjust the consistency by increasing or reducing the icing sugar (I used about 220g of icing sugar).
2. Cover the icing with clip wrap to prevent drying.

   To decorate  

1. Fill in some white icing to piping bag with Wilton #2 nozzle; draw the outline (as shown in above picture). Complete all cookies before move on to step 2.
2. Transfer some white icing into another bowl, add little water to make it runnier (as my icing is quite thick), carefully spoon icing on the “beard” area and use tooth pick to spread the icing. Complete all cookies before move on to step 3.
3. Transfer some white icing into another bowl, add few drops of red colouring and mix well. Use tooth pick to pick up the icing and add one dot to form the “nose” and fill up the “hat”. Complete all cookies before move on to step 4.
4. Use the same icing in step 1, with Wilton #2 nozzle pipe one dot on the tip of the hat. Complete all cookies before move on to step 4.
5. Transfer little white icing into another bowl, add little water and cocoa powder and mix well. Use tooth pick to pick up the icing and drop 2 dots on cookie to form the “eyes”. Complete all cookies. Santa Claus cookie is done!

    (Recipe source: trial and error by Angel of Cook.Bake.Love)

I am submitting this post to post to Aspiring Bakers #26 – Creative Christmas Motif Bakes! hosted by Alan of Travellingfoodies.

I like all the lovely Santa Claus cookies' photos, please help me to decide which photo to submit to Aspiring Bakers. Please vote for your favourite photo. Thank you. XOXO.