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2 cups of butter (no substitutions) |
2 tsp. of vanilla plus 1 tsp. of water |
1/2 cups of sugar |
4 to 4 1/2 cups of flour |
4 egg yolks |
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Cream butter, sugar, and egg yolks. Add vanilla and water. Add the flour gradually. The dough should be soft but not sticky. Put it in a large freezer bag and press it down so that you have a rectangle about 2" thick. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour or overnight. Remove dough from fridge and break off about a fourth of it. Lightly flour a board and roll the dough about 1/4" Cut cookies with desired cutters and place on parchment paper covered baking sheets. Bake at 350 for approximately 11 minutes. Cool cookies on a rack and decorate.
Icing
3 Lbs. powdered sugar |
3/4 tsp clear vanilla |
3 - 4 heaping Tsp. powdered egg white |
3/4 tsp. butter flavoring |
Water to thin |
1/2 tsp almond flavoring |
Place 2 pounds of powered sugar in the mixing bowl of your mixer. Add the powdered egg whites. Thoroughly mix the two together. Add approximately 1/2 cup water or enough that the frosting is fairly thin. Add the flavorings in the amounts shown or adjust them to your own taste. Add the last pound of powdered sugar and enough water to make the mixture "frosting consistency."
POWDERED EGG WHITES
These are available in most grocery stores. A common brand is JUST WHITES. They are normally located in the baking aisle near the cornstarch and powdered sugar. Using powdered egg whites insures that you won't need to worry about any bacteria from raw eggs.