Cut Out Cookies

Hola amigos! I have been wanting Lofthouse cookies for quite some time and have tried a few different copycat recipes that didn't go so great.  Although they don't have the flaky Lofthouse cookie texture, these cutout cookies are ranked up there with Lofthouse's.  These cookies didn't last long at my house so that must be a sign that they taste great, right?   


 Yield: 20 cookies

Ingredients:

For cookies:

- 3 c. flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 c. sugar
- 2 sticks of cold butter
- 1 egg
- 3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. almond extract

For icing:

- 4 TBSP. meringue powder
- 1/2 c. water
- 1 lb. powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp. light corn syrup
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Food coloring, if desired 

Cookie ingredients

Icing ingredients

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar.  Next, add one egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract.  Mix in flour, salt, and baking powder.  Knead the mixture together before rolling out to start cutting out cookies.

After rolling out dough and cutting out 1/8 inch thick cookies on floured surface, place cookies on a cookie sheet and freeze for about 5 minutes before baking.  

Bake for about 10 minutes.

Beat meringue powder and water until the mixture is foamy.  

Sift the powdered sugar into the bowl until combined (must mix on low setting).  

Next add corn syrup and vanilla extract.  The icing must become shiny and peaks will form before adding food coloring.  


This icing will begin to dry if not covered immediately.  I had a lot of extra icing that I kept in a bottle in the fridge for next time.  Let the cookies set out for a few hours or overnight to harden completely. 

For today's post, my cut out cookies are based on Sprinkle Charms' recipe for Ultimate Cut Out Cookies and Royal Icing.

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

Hello all! I was in the mood for some red velvet cake (or in my case green velvet) and I tried a recipe out hoping to share another cake recipe. Instead, I decided the frosting outdid the cake. I chose this frosting because I wanted a lighter frosting for a heavier cake. The frosting recipe was originally used for cinnamon rolls but can be used for cakes as well.  

Ingredients:
- 16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 c. heavy whipping cream

Beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Set aside. In another mixing bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream until it forms stiff peaks. Add the whipped cream into the cream cheese and sugar mixture and mix together.   

This frosting is based on Ms. Humble's Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting.