Strawberry Cookies

Strawberry Cookies

Strawberry Cookies

Wafer Paper Nostalgic Charm Designs I bought from Fancy Flours

I almost did not make these strawberry cookies. It just so happend one day prior to baking the cookies, I could not find a key ingredient, strawberry extract. I checked about 10 stores in my area and no one had it. I decided to use 2 teaspoons of the Jello Strawberry Gelatin powder and added a little milk. The cookies came out amazing. I plan to order strawberry extract online for future baking and so this does not happen to me again. I came across this recipe via the blog, Created By Diane (link below) so refer to her recipe if you are using strawberry extract as I made adjustments. In her recipe she uses chocolate icing, but I needed royal icing. See recipe below. I hope you all have a Happy Valentine's Day.

Strawberry Cookies

Heart with Arrow Strawberry Cookies

Strawberry Cookies with lots of nonpareils

Yield: 2 to 2 1/2 Dozen Cookies (depending on cutter size)

Ingredients
3 cups King Arthur All Purpose Flour

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar

1 teaspoon Coarse Salt

2 teaspoons of Jello Strawberry Gelatin Powder

2 tablespoons Milk

1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

1 cup, 2 sticks Salted Butter, softened

1 Large Egg

Lot of sprinkles on these Strawberry Cookies

Strawberry Heart Cookies

Mini Strawberry Heart Cookies

Directions
Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

Cream butter and sugar in a hand held mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment on medium speed; 1-2 minutes. Do not overmix.

Scrape sides of bowl with spatula and mix for 10 seconds.

Strawberry Cookies

Strawberry Cookies

Strawberry Cookies

Add egg, vanilla extract, milk, and mix until incorporated.

Scrape sides of bowl and mix for 5 seconds.

On low speed, add the strawberry powder and mix until incorporated, about 25 seconds.

Slowly add flour mixture and incorporate.

Strawberry Heart Wafer Paper Cookies

Strawberry Heart Wafer Paper Cookies

Strawberry Heart Wafer Paper Cookies, Close-Up

The dough is ready when it begins to clump around paddle attachment.

Cut in half and roll dough into 2 balls, cover with plastic wrap and chill in fridge for 1-2 hours or overnight.

Take half of the dough leaving unused dough covered with plastic wrap in fridge until ready to use.

Strawberry Heart Wafer Paper Cookies, Close-Up

Strawberry Heart Wafer Paper Cookies, Close-Up

Strawberry Heart Wafer Paper Cookies, Close-Up

Strawberry Heart Wafer Paper Cookies, Close-Up

Heat oven to 350°F.

Use two sheets of parchment paper with dough in between and roll with rolling pin until desired thickness is reached.

If needed, dip cutters in flour, shake off excess, and make shapes.

Place onto cookies sheets lined with parchment paper, and put in freezer for 15 minutes. The cookies hold their shape when you do this.

Bake 9-12 minutes or until the edges have slightly browned. My cookies baked in 12 minutes.

Wait 5 minutes before transferring cookies on cooling racks to complete cooling.

Decorate once cookies have cooled completely.

Strawberry Heart Wafer Paper Cookies, Cupid Close-Up

Strawberry Heart Wafer Paper Cookies, Close-Up

Strawberry Heart Wafer Paper Cookies, Close-Up

Strawberry Heart Wafer Paper Cookies, Close-Up

Large Batch Royal Icing
Ingredients
8 Egg Whites

8 teaspoons Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed

12 cups Powdered/Confectioners' Sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon Clear Vanilla Extract

2-4 tablespoons Water, as needed

Strawberry Heart Wafer Paper Cookies, Close-Up

Strawberry Heart Wafer Paper Cookies, Close-Up

Strawberry Heart Wafer Paper Cookies, Close-Up

Directions
In a large bowl, sift powdered sugar, set aside.

In a bowl, add egg whites.

In a bowl, whisk together the egg whites and lemon juice.

Transfer to stand or hand held mixer with paddle attachment and mix on high for 1-2 minutes.

Add vanilla extract and mix for 5-10 seconds.

Just iced all the cookies

I cut the wafer paper shapes and icing is dry so I can adhere to cookies

Wafer paper adhered

After wafer paper set, I added a border around, and while wet added white sparkling sugar

With mixer speed on low, slowly add sifted sugar and beat on low until smooth.

If needed, you may add 1 teaspoon of water at a time until you reach the right consistency. Watch the Joy of Baking (link at the end) video for both Flooding Consistency and Piping Consistency Royal Icing. If you prefer a recipe using Meringue Powder, it is also available at this link.

Separate the icing in plastic containers with lids according to how many different colors needed for tinting.

I used AmeriColor Soft Gel Paste Food Color in Super Red, Pink, and Fuchsia. Use 1-2 drops at a time until you achieve the color you need.

Icing Colors I used for my Valentine's Cookies

Keep the containers covered until you are ready to color.

Transfer the icing immediately into squeeze bottles.

I outlined the cookies, and waited 1/2 hour and then filled them.

Arrows are Wilton Icing Decorations ordered from Amazon; one cracked in transit :(

Use a paintbrush or cookie stick to reach edges, and use tip of cookie stick or a toothpick to pop any air bubbles.

Add sprinkles, confetti, nonpareils, colored sugars, sugar pearls, silver dragees, etc... over wet icing.

Let cookies dry overnight. This is essential so the icing does not stick together when you stack them or place in cookie tins for gifts.

Sugars, nonpareils, dragees, etc. I used for my Valentine's Cookies

If you are baking and it is humid, you may need more time for the cookies to dry.

Wafer Paper Directions
Once the cookie icing has completely dried use a brush dipped in light corn syrup and carefully brush on the undecorated side, and then gently press design side up onto the cookie.

Carefully move to set in place.

Be gentle or the wafer paper can break easily.

Once you add all the wafer paper designs to the cookies, place wax paper on a wire rack and put the cookies with the designs face down for 10 minutes to set.

If desired, take border icing and run a heart along the wafer edges and while wet, add white sparkling sugar shaking off excess.

Let dry overnight.

For the Strawberry Cut Out Cookies with Chocolate Icing, visit Created By Diane:
https://www.createdby-diane.com/2013/02/strawberry-cut-out-cookies-with-chocolate-icing.html

Please visit, Joy of Baking for the Royal Icing Recipe and Video Tutorial:
http://www.joyofbaking.com/RoyalIcing.html

Enjoy!

-Sophia/Two Frys