Easy Sugar Cookies

Christmas Sugar cookies| Sugar Sprinkle cookies are basically butter cookies iced with Royal Icing and some times garnished with sugar sprinkles or chocolates. These are easy to prepare and also could be used as a edible garnish to hang on the Christmas tree or tinsel. Looks pretty and also tastes delicious. A perfect snack for the Christmas season. Kids love to make the icing with colours and sugar sprinkles. You could have fun by involving your kids to make these cookies.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Garnishing Time: 30 minutes
Makes: 25-30 nos

INGREDIENTS:
All purpose flour/ Maida- 1 ¼ to 1½ cups
Baking powder- 1 teaspoon
Salt- pinch
Butter, softened- 1/2 cup
Sugar, powdered- 1/2 cup
Egg yolk-1 (optional;Vegetarians use 3 tablespoons of milk)
Vanilla essence- 1 teaspoon
Crushed candies/ lollipops (different colours and flavours)- as required

Royal Icing:
Icing Sugar - 1/4 cup
Cornflour - 3/4 tsp
Lemon Juice - 1/2 tsp
Milk - 1 to 2 tsp

Food Colours of choice

Sugar Sprinkles

PROCEDURE:

• Mix all purpose flour, baking powder and salt together using a whisk in a bowl or pass the mixture through a strainer/ sieve to uniformly mix together. 
• In a bowl beat the butter till fluffy and add the powdered sugar and beat well. Now add the vanilla essence and beat well.
• Add quarter cup at a time and mix well like wise add all the dry mixture into the butter and sugar mixture and make a dough. 
• Using hand roll the dough into a ball. Chill the dough by wrapping in a cling film or wax paper for about 30 minutes. (Divide the dough into two balls for easy chilling process) 
• Once the dough is chilled roll the dough in to a flat sheet using rolling pin.
• Using cookie cutters of your choice cut the cookies as desired. 
• Transfer the cut cookies on a baking tray lined with wax paper. 
• Now cut the inside of the cookies using desired small cookie cutters or plunger cutters. 
• Using a skewer keep a hole on top of all cookies to pass the thread over it and hang later on.(If you wish to hang it on the tree or tinsel)
• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees for 10 minutes and transfer the cookies and bake them for about 10-15 minutes or the edges of the cookies starts to turn golden. 
• Allow to cool the cookies thoroughly before ice them.

Royal Icing:

• In a mixing bowl add the icing sugar and cornflour. Mix well evenly. 
• Now add the lemon juice. Finally add the milk little by little till you get a slightly thick but flowing paste. It has to flow if you drop from spoon.

• Divide the icing in to small bowls and add the food colour you wish to add. 
• Take piping bags and fill them and seal the edges with clip of cello tape. 
• Once the cookies are thoroughly cooled cut the edge of the piping bag and pipe the icing over the cookies and immediately sprinkle with sugar sprinkles before the royal icing get dried.
• Allow to set the icing for 10-15 minutes and store in airtight jars (or)Tie with thread and hang on the Christmas tree or tinsel.