Holiday Painted Cookies Food

HOLIDAY PAINTED COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl. Set aside. Beat sugar and butter in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Gradually stir in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Refrigerate 2 hours or until firm.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Roll dough on generously floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out shapes with holiday cookie cutters. Place on ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets 1 minute. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
• Spoon 1 container of the frosting into medium microwavable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 20 to 30 seconds, stirring every 10 seconds. (Frosting should be a pourable consistency.) Dip tops of cookies into frosting. Microwave remaining container of frosting as needed. Place frosted cookies on wire rack set over foil-covered baking sheet. (The baking sheet will catch drips.) Let stand 10 minutes or until frosting is dried.
• Prepare desired colors of Holiday Flavor Paints (see tips). Using small clean paint brushes, paint designs on cookies.

PAINTED SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Mix flour and salt in medium bowl. Set aside. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed.
• Roll out dough on generously floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out shapes, such as rounds or flowers, with 3-inch cookie cutters. Place on ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges start to brown. Cool on baking sheets 1 minute. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
• Spoon frosting into medium microwavable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 20 to 30 seconds, stirring every 10 seconds. (Frosting should be a pourable consistency.) Dip tops of cookies into frosting. Place frosted cookies on wire rack set over foil-covered baking sheet. (The baking sheet will catch drips.) Let stand 10 minutes or until frosting is dried.
• Prepare desired colors of Flavor Paints (see below). Using small clean paint brushes, paint designs on cookies.
• Flavor Paints:Rosy Red: 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract and 1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Red Food ColorDeep Ocean Blue: 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract and 1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Blue Food ColorBlackest Night: 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract and 1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Black Food ColorGrass Green: 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Lemon Extract and 1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Green Food ColorLemony Yellow: 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Lemon Extract and 1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Yellow Food ColorNeon Blue: 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Lemon Extract and 1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Neon Blue Food ColorNeon Green: 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Lemon Extract and 1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Neon Green Food ColorNeon Purple: 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract and 1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Neon Purple Food ColorNeon Pink: 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Lemon Extract and 1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Neon Pink Food ColorDeep Pink: 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract and 15 drops McCormick® Red Food ColorMedium Pink: 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract and 5 drops McCormick® Red Food ColorLight Pink: 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract and 2 drops McCormick® Red Food Color
• Instead of Flavor Paints, try decorating with Colorful Cookie Icing. Mix 1 cup confectioners' sugar, 3 to 4 teaspoons milk and 1/2 teaspoon McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract in small bowl. (Stir in additional milk as needed to thin icing or more confectioners' sugar to thicken, if needed.) Place small amount of icing into small shallow bowls, using one bowl for each color desired. Stir 3 to 4 drops McCormick Assorted Food Colors & Egg Dye into icing until desired shade is reached. To ice cookies, hold cookie by its edge and dip top of cookie into icing. (Or spoon the icing onto cookie using a teaspoon.) Place iced cookies on wire rack set over foil-covered baking sheet to dry. (The foil-covered baking sheet will catch drips.) To add decorative details to cookies, spoon tinted icing into resealable plastic bag. Snip off a tiny piece of the corner. Squeeze icing through hole in plastic bag to decorate cookies. If desired, Colored Sugar may be sprinkled onto freshly iced cookies.

SOFT SUGAR COOKIES FOR PAINTED COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream together butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy.
• Beat eggs int the butter and sugar one at a time, then stir in the vanilla and almond extract.
• Gradually add dry ingredients mixing slowly until fully absorbed. Cover dough, and chill for 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Roll dough between two sheets of parchment paper to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out shapes using cookie cutters.and place on prepared cookie sheets.
• Pour a tablespoon of evaporated milk into a small container and add a few drops of food coloring, stir to combine. Repeat for each color you wish to use.
• Use a paint brush to paint the cookies.
• Sprinkle lightly with white sugar.
• Bake 6 to 8 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are lightly brown. Remove from cookie sheets and cool on wire racks.

HOLIDAY PAINTED COOKIES

Steps:

• For cookies: in a large bowl combine butter with sugar, then egg whites, then vanilla extract; beat using an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy.
• In another bowl combine the flour with baking powder, mace and salt; gradually stir into the butter mixture until well blended.
• Divide dough in half, cover with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.
• Set oven to 400°F Line cookie sheets with parchment paper (do not grease cookie sheets use parchment paper or silpat liner only).
• On a very lightly floured surface roll out the dough into about 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters. (For children, place each cookie on parchment for painting.).
• For the paint: blend egg yolks and water (one yolk to one teaspoon of water if you need more colors) to a smooth consistency. Divide into as many separate bowls as you wish for different colors. Add in food coloring until desired intensity is achieved.
• Paint the cookies using one brush for each color (I use children's watercolor type brushes).
• Carefully move painted cookies and place them 2-inches apart on lined cookie sheet. (Unless you painted them on parchment, then just transfer the parchment to the pan.) Bake 5-8 minutes, until just browned on the edges.
• Remove cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
• Note: to make cookies into ornaments, use a drinking straw to punch a hole near the top center of the cookie before baking, leaving enough room to insure the integrity of the cookie. Thread a ribbon through finished cookie to make a loop for hanging.

PAINTED SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• In a small bowl mix together the gel food coloring and water until well combined. Set aside until ready to use.
• In a small bowl mix together the cocoa powder and water until mixture is smooth.
• Prepare your workstation by laying a large sheet of wax paper on the counter, and placing the cookies upon it. Have ready your cookie paint and brushes.
• Before making brush strokes on the cookies, dip the brush into the food coloring mixture and press the brush against the sides of the bowl to rid of any excess liquid.
• Gently make brush strokes on the cookies as desired. Set aside until completely dry, 4-5 hours.