sweet treats

I made these cookies on Friday to celebrate "Forced Affection" Day (aka Valentine's Day - I'm sorry...Valentine's Day bugs me). It used to be that I would only make butter cookies at Christmas. They are kind of a lot of work, but believe it or not, they are the only cookie I make that everyone in the house will eat. Then a couple of years ago, I played around with making cookie bouquets and needed an icing that would hold up better than a buttercream. I try to make these a couple of times a year: hearts, chicks and bunnies for Easter, leaves in the fall, and sometimes just plain circles for whatever.

Here's the recipe:

Butter Cookies

1 cup butter (softened)
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
3 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix until combined. In a separate bowl, sift flour and baking powder together and add to butter mixture. Mix until just incorporated. Separate into two portions; wrap in wax paper and chill for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface, rotating frequently so the dough doesn't stick, to desired thickness (1/4 to 1/2 inch). Cut out shapes with cookie cutters and transfer to baking sheet. Bake for approx. 5 to 7 minutes until a very light golden brown. Allow cookies to cool completely before decorating.

Icing

2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
food coloring (Liquid is fine, but I prefer to use the Wilton gel colors...the colors are very vivid and a little goes a long way!)

Combine first three ingredients until well combined into a thick glaze. Add coloring and mix completely (or not, for a swirly effect...)

There isn't really any way to mess this up...you can put a lot on so it drips over the edges of the cookies, or you can leave a border around the edge...just have fun!