I honestly don’t know why but I am kinda sad this is my last blog post.  I have a lot of fun baking/ cooking then researching the reactions behind the food that I made- or sometimes applying my own (limited) chem knowledge.  It’s been really fun for me to do and write… I am sorry for all of you tho you have to listen to me ramble on and on.  So, for my last bake, I was torn.  My original plan was to end on Italian bread because bread can be annoying but delicious when perfected.  However, I made challah with Leah a couple of weeks ago and the reactions are pretty much the same.   I could do cheesecake, souffle or meringues (all really annoying, yet interesting, to make), but I didn’t.  I thought it would be better if we went full circle, if this blog is going to start on cookies then it will end on them too!  This week I decided to make rolled sugar cookies with royal icing, to end off our little baking journey.

The Dough

The dough is like any other cookie- it has its structural elements (eggs), the leavening agent (baking powder), and of course sugar!  When making sugar cookies you should always start with butter and sugar, but unlike the chocolate chip cookies, there is NO butter browning here.  When you brown butter you release those nutty sweet aromas by evaporating the water, which is great… but I don’t want a rich nutty sugar cookie.  If you ask me the perfect sugar cookie is sweet and light, there’s not really any intense flavors.  So, to obtain this lighter cookie dough texture we have to use room temperature butter and cream it with the sugar.  When you cream butter and sugar you are incorporating more air into the batter- which when baked will be released creating a softer (more cakey) texture.  If you melt the butter then cream it together, your cookies will end up being denser due to the lack of air.  This isn’t a bad thing (it’s more of a preference thing), but I have never been a fan of dense cookies so I try to stay away from melting butter (unless your browning.. then do it!).  Again to help us achieve that airy texture baking soda instead of baking powder is used.

Baking/ Storing

I cannot stress this step enough YOU MUST refrigerate your dough for at least 2 hours before rolling them out and baking them.  Why?  When making rolled sugar cookies the dough is super sticky due to the butter warming up.  When the butter is cold it keeps its shape more and is just less sticky.  Also, about that stickiness… flour your cookie dough like it’s bread.  This butter is no joke it will stick to you, your counter, and the rolling pin… please flour everything.  If you can’t tell I made TX cookies… I’m ashamed.  I didn’t have any easter or non-Christmas cookie cutters so I had to use TX (I’m not proud).  When sugar cookies are baked they melt due to the fatty butter then rise due to the leavening agents helping air release.  When you take them out you do have to cool them completely if you are going to ice them (if you don’t the icing will just melt right off).

Icing

Royal icing is just made out of powdered sugar, food dye, egg whites, water, and almond extract.  It’s pretty basic and easy to see what each ingredient does just by looking at the list so I won’t bore you to death.  The key to royal icing is making sure it hardens, you just need to let them sit out long enough for the water to evaporate (6 to 8 hours).

Conclusion

While sugar cookies aren’t that difficult or complex they are a lot of fun!  As always I suggest you try this recipe and if you do have fun decorating them.  I normally just flood my cookies with a more liquidy royal icing, but if you are feeling creative just make that icing a toothpaste consistency and decorate away.  I hope everyone is staying healthy and quarantined.  Thanks for coming on my little baking adventure with me, happy RCLing :).

Sources: 

https://www.redpathsugar.com/recipe/science-cookies

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/10402/the-best-rolled-sugar-cookies/

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/royal-icing/