I’ve recently had the pleasure of attending Julie Donald and Schunette Beukes‘ Baking Retreat in Caledon where we learnt how to make the yummiest butter cookies. I just had to share the recipe…
Butter cookies
Original recipe by Julie Donald: 1-2-3 Cookies
Ingredients
250 g castor sugar or granulated sugar (one part)
500 g butter room temperature (two parts)
750 g cake flour (three parts)
5 ml vanilla essence or other flavouring
3 ml salt optional
Method
Preheat oven to 160°. Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla together.
Add the flour and salt and work the mixture to form a soft dough.
Chill the mixture until firm.
Roll our dough between two plastic sheets and cut out shapes.
Place on a greased or lined baking sheet and bake at 160°C until firm to the touch.
Royal Icing
Original recipe by Martha Stewart: Royal Icing With Egg Whites
Ingredients
3 large eggs
4 cups confectioners’ sugar (one 1-pound box), sifted
Directions
Beat egg whites: Place egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat using the whisk attachment until frothy.
Add sugar and beat: Add 1/4 cup of the sugar and mix well. Gradually add the remaining 3 3/4 cups sugar, beating on low speed and scraping down the sides.
Finish mixing until thick: Increase the speed to high and continue to beat the mixture until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes. At this stage, the icing will be very thick.
Add water: Add water, a few drops at a time, to thin it to the consistency appropriate for the kind of decorating you are doing. As a rule, the icing should be stiffer for lettering, more malleable for making petals—but you will need to experiment to find the consistency that works best for you.
