Valentine's Cookies

While I am making cookies for a Wild Life Themed birthday party on Saturday, I thought I would make Valentine's cookies for the family.

Iced  cookie

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients
340g softened butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1t vanilla
5 cups sifted flour
2t baking powder
1t salt

Method
This recipe can be halved

1) In a large bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy
2) Beat in eggs one at a time
3) Beat in vanilla
4) Add dry ingredients
5) cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Over night would be better
6) Preheat the oven to 190°C
7) Roll out the dough +/- 1cm thick
8) Cut out shapes and place on ungreased baking sheet
9) Bake for 6-8min

Tip: If you are making different shapes, try and bake the same shapes together as the smaller shaped will bake quicker and possible burn.

Cookie Glaze

Ingredients

1 cup icing sugar sifted
2t milk or water
2t corn syrup

Method

1) Using a whisk stir together the sugar and milk. be careful not to add too much milk. The mixture should not "tear" as you stir it but it should not run off the whisk either.
2) Add corn syrup and mix well. The consistency should be like cold honey. when it runs off the whisk it should take 4-6 seconds to smooth out.
3) To colour your icing hold back 1/2t milk. Separate the amount of icing you will need and begin adding your food colouring a little at a time. Be careful not to add too much as it will make your icing too thin. Rather have icing that is too stiff, it is easier to thin.
4) Using a piping nozzle and bag pipe a boarder around the cookie, Immediately fill the center with icing so that the icing blends.
5) Leave the icing to dry over night.
6) decorate your cookies as you wish with edible markers or paintbrush and food colouring.


Here in South Africa we can't buy corn syrup. So often I come across a recipe that calls for corn syrup. You can use golden syrup but it is very dark. If you want white icing you have to use corn syrup. So I decided to make my own.

Here is the recipe I used, minus the corn. http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2012/02/homemade-corn-syrup-you-can-use-in.html
It came out perfectly and did not stain my icing.

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