Basic Decorative Cookie Dough

Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o’clock every afternoon and then lay down on our blankets for a nap. ~ Barbara Jordan

The start to edible works of art.

The first cookie I learned to make was the chocolate chip cookie.  Drop cookies were easy to make and were consumed warm out of the oven by a family of six.

The cookie that made the biggest impression, however, was the decorated vanilla cut-out Santa Claus that my mother made at Christmas.  I can still see that red plastic cookie cutter that made a facial impression on the cookie dough.  I would help out by cutting raisins is half, one for each eye.  After they were baked, the cookies were iced with red icing for the hat and vanilla for the beard. Coconut on the beard and pom-pom of the hat was the piece de resistance.

As an adult, cut-out cookies have always been one of my favorites.  They can be true works of art.  Along that vein, an absolutely stunning book is Julia Usher’s Ultimate Cookies.

My cookie dough of choice is Tish Boyle’s Basic Decorative Cookie Dough. It is delicious and maintains it shape perfectly when baked.

In a previous post, I made decorated cookies for May Day. For Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, wedding showers, baby showers and all those other fun summertime events, this cookie is a star.

Gather the ingredients:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract and orange zest. Mix until well blended.

Add the flour, one third at a time, at low speed.  Mix just until the flour is combined.

Remove the dough from the bowl.

Form a ball and divide it in fourths.

Flatten each section into a disk and wrap it with plastic wrap.

Chill for at least 30 minutes, until firm.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the disks to a thickness of 1/8 inch.  Cut out with the cookie cutter of your choice.

Lift each cookie with a spatula and place it on the prepared cookie sheet.  Place each cookie ½ inch apart.

Bake, one cookie sheet at a time, for 10-15 minutes, until pale golden brown.

Cool the cookies on a cooling rack before decorating with royal icing.

Basic Decorative Cookie Dough Recipe

By Patricia Rio Published: May 10, 2013

• Basic Decorative Cookie Dough

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  4 votes, 5.00 avg. rating (99% score)
• Yield: 36 3 inch cookies
• Prep: 60 mins
• Cook: 10-15 mins
• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins

Recipe courtesy of Tish Boyle's The Good Cookie, pg. 357

Ingredients

• 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 whole large egg
• 1 whole large egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon orange zest

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.
   
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
   
3. Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract and orange zest. Mix until well blended.
   
4. Add the flour, one third at a time, at low speed. Mix just until the flour is combined.
   
5. Remove the dough from the bowl. Form a ball and divide it in fourths. Flatten each section into a disk and wrap it with plastic wrap.
   
6. Chill for at least 30 minutes, until firm.
   
7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper
   
8. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the disks to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Cut out with the cookie cutter of your choice.
   
9. Lift each cookie with a spatula and place it on the prepared cookie sheet. Place each cookie ½ inch apart.
   
10. Bake, one cookie sheet at a time, for 10-15 minutes, until pale golden brown.
    
11. Cool the cookies on a cooling rack.