Pineapple Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

My girlfriend Brooke Bell who owns Sugar Bell Cookies & Cupcakes makes the most glorious sugar cookies with royal icing.  I have admired her work for years.  And though I cannot come close to her extraordinary talent, I wanted to give this a try.  I found this extremely cute cookie cutter at Williams Sonoma, and bought it on a whim.  I'm so glad I did.  These cookies are so fun.

                           

Pineapple Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

Ingredients

SUGAR COOKIES

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

pineapple cookie cutter

ROYAL ICING

1/2 cup meringue powder

3/4 cup water

2 pounds (32 ounces) powdered sugar

2 teaspoons light corn syrup

Yellow gel food coloring

Green gel food coloring

Small squeeze bottles

Toothpicks

2 small piping bags

2 #3 piping tips

Directions

FOR THE COOKIES

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheet with silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

In a medium bowl mix flour and baking powder.  Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg and vanilla extract, mixing until combined.  Add the flour mixture one cup at a time, mixing on low until just combined.  Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.  After the last addition, the mixture will look thick and crumbly.

Now, lets roll!  Line rolling surface with silicone baking mat.  Dust rolling pin with flour.  Roll half of dough on the silicone mat 1/4 inch thinck.  Dip the cookie cutter in flour and cut as many pineapples out of the dough as you can (I managed 4 on my first roll-out).  Remove scraps, re-knead and repeat.

Place cookies on prepared cookie sheet. 

Place cookies in freezer for 10 minutes.  Bake for 9-12 minutes.  Remove from oven when done and let cool for a couple of minutes on baking tray.  Use the cookie cutter again to trim cookies to size, if desired.  Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

FOR THE ICING

When cookies have cooled, mix the royal icing in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.  Mix on low speed meringue powder, powdered sugar, water, and corn syrup until combined.  Scrape down sides, and beat for 5 minutes on medium speed.  Increase speed to medium-high and beat until icing is glossy and stiff peaks form.  

Divide icing into two containers.  Since you will be using more yellow icing, make sure one container has about two-thirds of the prepared icing, and the other container has about one-third of the icing.  Tint Royal Icing yellow and green.  

With a piping bag and #3 tip, outline the pineapple in yellow, and the leaves in green.  Once all the cookies have been outlined, return remaining icing to containers. 

Now you have to thin the icing in order flood the cookies.  Add a few drops of water at a time until the consistency of your icing is a thick syrup.  Fill your squeeze bottle with the thinned icing.  Fill the center of the outlined cookie.  Use a toothpick to spread the icing to the edges and slightly over.  Repeat with the remaining cookies and let dry for 24 hours.  

Remember!  Practice makes perfect.  So have fun with these, and don't give up :)

-Erin