Ingredients
-
3 cups
all-purpose flour
-
3/4 tsp
baking powder
-
1/4 tsp
salt
-
1 cup
unsalted
butter
, at room temperature
-
1 cup
granulated sugar
-
1
egg
-
2 tsp
vanilla
Decoration
-
1 1/4 cup
white
royal icing
-
large
marshmallows
-
pretzel sticks
-
sour candy belts
, cut into strips
-
large orange
candy sprinkles
-
black gel
icing
-
chocolate-caramel cups
, such as Rolo
-
chocolate coins
Royal icing
-
3
egg whites
-
1/4 tsp
white vinegar
-
5 cups
icing sugar
-
2-3 tbsp
cold water
Instructions
- Stir flour with baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
- Beat butter with sugar, using an electric mixer on medium-high, in a large bowl until fluffy, 2 to 3 min. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture until combined. Divide dough into 3 portions. Form each portion into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Lightly flour your counter. Roll out 1 portion of dough to 1/4 in. thick. Using a 3-in. round cookie cutter, cut out circles. Arrange 2 in. apart on prepared baking sheets. Gather scraps and re-roll dough to cut out more circles. (Chill dough again if it is getting too soft.)
- Bake in centre of oven until cookies just begin to brown around the edges, 10 to 12 min. Let cookies stand on baking sheets for 5 min. Remove cookies to a rack to cool completely, about 30 min. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Spoon about 2 tsp royal icing onto a cooled cookie. Using the back of the spoon, drag icing to the edge of cookie in a random fashion. (It’s OK if it looks messy.)
- Cut a small piece off a flat end of a marshmallow. Place remaining marshmallow, sticky-side down, on wet royal icing.
- Break a pretzel stick in half and arrange on either side of the marshmallow “head.”
- Wrap a sour candy belt “scarf” around the base of the head.
- Using royal icing as glue, stick an orange candy sprinkle in the middle of marshmallow for the “nose.”
- Use black gel icing to pipe eyes, mouth and buttons onto cookie.
- Make a hat by using royal icing to stick a chocolate-caramel cup onto a chocolate coin, then on top of the marshmallow. Let cookie stand until icing is firm, about 2 hours.
Tip
Make your own royal icing by beating 3 egg whites with 1/4 tsp white vinegar in a large bowl using an electric mixer, until foamy. Gradually beat in 5 cups sifted icing sugar until combined. Increase speed to high and beat until icing is thick but still foamy, 3 to 7 min. Stir in 2 to 3 tbsp cold water to thin the icing to desired consistency. It should be thick and smooth.
Originally published in the Today’s Parent November 2015 issue. Photo: Tony Lanz.
