Robin's Egg cookies are a fun project to make during Spring and Easter. Make them with your children or the neighborhood kids on a weekend and enjoy as a treat afterwards, or wrap them up in a goodie bag and pass out on Easter Sunday. A great excuse to bring out one's own talent! I chose to use Royal Icing as it hardens nicely and once dried you can't dent or mess up the look! Take a crack at it!
TOOLS
2 baking sheets
Parchment Paper
Standing Mixer
Measuring cups & spoons
Rubber spatula
Rolling pin
Egg cookie cutter
Double boiler or microwave for melting chocolate
3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp milk
Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough
DIRECTIONS
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a stand mixer with paddle place butter and sugar and beat until light in color then add egg and milk.
Put mixer on low speed and gradually add flour and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours. Preheat oven 375 degrees F.
Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powder, and roll out dough to 1/4" thick. Press egg cookie cutter throughout the dough and place cookie 1" apart on parchment lined or on a silcone baking mat over your cookie sheet. Repeat this till you are out of dough. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time.
After 2 minutes out of the oven, transfer cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.
ROYAL ICING
Wilton's Royal Icing creates a hard-drying, long lasting decoration that has a matte finish. You'll have to work quickly and make sure to close the lid on your glass (not plastic) container if you are going to walk away. Once it dries it will not smear or leave a dent.
TOOLS
Standing mixer
Glass container with plastic lid for storing royal icing
Small decorating spatula
1 new toothbrush or thin paint brush
Drying cookie rack
INGREDIENTS
1-1/2 tbsp Meringue Powder such as Wilton's found in your local craft store - bakery dept.
8oz sifted confectioner's sugar
3-5 tbsp lukewarm water
Teal or Turquoise food coloring
1/3 cup chocolate chips
DIRECTIONS
Make sure all utensils are grease free.
Place confectioner's sugar and meringue powder in a bowl. Stir or mix at low speed until blended. Add water and mix 7-10 minutes at low-medium speed until icing loses its sheen. Add a drop of the Teal food coloring untill you get the desired Robin's Egg color. To prevent drying, be sure to cover the bowl with a damp cloth while working with icing. To reuse, beat on low to restore original texture. If the icing is too thick add a teaspoon of water at a time to loosen.
After cookies have cooled and the royal icing is made, begin spreading the royal icing on each cookie with the small decorating spatula, smoothing it out carefully doing your best to create a nice smooth surface. Let the cookies dry for about an hour on the cooling racks.
Once the cookies are dry and ready, separately melt the chocolate in a double boiler or microwave very carefully and slowly untill you get a thin melted consistency. With the paint brush slowly make small chocolate dots on the dried royal icing replicating a Robin's Egg. I prefer to use a new toothbrush dipped in chocolate and with your thumb run across the bristles back and forth, this will 'spray' small chocolate drops. You will be happier with the results. Much easier but a bit messy. Your choice!
Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Makes about 2 dozen 4" x 3" egg cookies. The egg cookie cutter can be purchased at Sur la Table, William Sonoma or Amazon.com I bought mine at William Sonoma.
Sugar Cookie recipe from Food Network - Alton Brown.
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