Baby Sugar Cookies

Regrettably, I'm still feeling under the weather. I feel a bit like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh, with a raincloud over my head and I keep misplacing my head (or tail, as it may be). In addition to losing 5 pounds in the last week (which I will certainly gain back in eating many, many cookies), I've temporarily lost my sense of smell and taste.

Moment of silence.

Now I ask you this: is there anything worse for a food blogger? How am I suppose to share delicious food and decadent desserts with you if I first can't test them out for myself?

Devastating is what this is. Maybe even a little bit ironic.

So today, we're going to try something new. I'm going to ask you to eat with your eyes instead of your taste buds.

My cousin Missy has been expecting a sweet little girl for some time now and she's finally arrived! Congratulations to Missy and Kurt (and new big brother Dylan)!

I can't wait to meet the new baby. Since my brain is always focused on butter and sugar, I wanted to give the new, soon to be very sleep deprived, second-time parents a special treat while they spent some time in the hospital with their new bundle of joy (and something to feed the visiting guests who have come to Ooo and Ahh over the cute baby toes).

Earlier this week, I baked up a batch of baby themed sugar cookies to send their way. I have already shared a couple sugar cookie recipes on this website which you can find here and here. Since I can't think of anything cuter than baby items (I literally squeal over them if I happen upon them in a store), I filled a bunch of pastry bags and quickly set out to decorate them. I used a royal icing to decorate the cookies (recipe below).

If there is enough interest, I would love to do a cookie decorating tutorial for you. Let me know if you'd like to learn!

I hope I've inspired you to try out cookie decorating for yourself! Or, if you know of a baby in the works, a few ideas to use to decorate your own baby themed cookies.

Royal Icing

3 3/4 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons meringue powder
6 tablespoons water

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the powdered sugar, meringue powder, and water until stiff peaks form, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add food coloring, if desired. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

To thin icing to fill larger areas, use a few drops of water at a time. Remember, a little bit of water goes a long way and it will take a lot of powdered sugar to compensate if you've added too much water.

Cinnamon Sugar Toast

There are few foods I grew up eating and this cinnamon sugar toast was one of them. My babysitter used to make it for me as an afternoon snack. On cold winter days, after the walk home from school, there were few snacks I looked forward to as much as this one. I have fond memories of sitting at the counter, enjoying this with a mug of hot cocoa. The toasty treat would bring life back into my pink nose and frozen limbs. Even the spicy cinnamon scent brought around a feeling of warmth and content.

This is a very easy snack to make and eat. It isn't fancy. It isn't pretentious. It doesn't try to pretend it is something it is not. This is simplicity at its finest.

I always get a little confused with people who go out and buy the cinnamon sugar pre-mixed spice in the grocery store. Honestly, it is so simple, making it much, much cheaper. Plus, you can adjust the ratio of cinnamon to sugar yourself, making it personalized to your tastes.

A good rule of thumb is one teaspoon cinnamon for every tablespoon of sugar. You can make a small batch or a big batch, but if you have a bowl and a spoon—really, you could even use your finger (and then lick it clean)—then you can have your very own cinnamon sugar in less than a minute. No excuses, people. No excuses.

This cinnamon sugar toast smells divine. We all know cinnamon and sugar are the best of friends, but when you sprinkle them on toast with a little butter? It's delectably simple. This is the perfect afternoon snack. Or, if you are feeling adventurous, you could have this with brunch. There is really no wrong way to eat this toast. Any way you decide to serve this, you'll be glad you did.

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Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

My little sister is graduating from high school this weekend. This means that she is now property of the beast known as the Real World, but (much more importantly) this also means she is having a graduation party. With cake. And ice cream. And cookies.

My sister has been a ballet dancer for over ten years, so these cookies are an ode to her and her many accomplishments. The ballerinas are doing a lovely arabesque (yes, I did have to ask exactly what that pose was). How my sister can balance on the tips of her toes will continue to remain a great mystery to me. It appears to defy everything I know about physics. And I know a lot about physics.

So, dear sister, congratulations and good luck for the future! My first advice to you as a diploma carting member of society is to keep these cookies far away from me or you will not get the chance to bite off some itty bitty ballerina limbs for yourself.

These sugar cookies are sweet (but not too sweet), soft, and fluffy. They puff up nicely in the oven and stay that way. Forever. Your sugar cookies no longer have to be two-dimensional! Flower petals can really blossom. Pumpkins can have the correct dimensionality. Santa Claus can have the appropriate amount of chub. The possibilities are truly endless. Now go forth and be creative.

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