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Cut-Out Cookies for Valentine's Day

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4.3 from 3 reviews

Ingredients

Cookie Ingredients:

Vegan Royal Icing Ingredients:

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Prepare a rolling area with two additional sheets of parchment paper for that, and have your cookie cutter handy.
  2. Place butter in a large mixing bowl and whip it with a mixer until it's creamy. Add sweetener, salt, and vanilla and mix once again to combine. Add in flour and use a wooden spoon to mix. Then get in there with your hands and mix everything together by working the dough until you can shape it into a ball {note: as depending on the flour mix you use there may be a slight variance, know that the consistency of the dough should not be sticky but should press together when pinched -- be sure to knead it really well first for some time -- if it's a little sticky, add a little more flour (try 1-2 tbsp); if it's a little dry add a little more sweetener (try 1 tbsp)}. Shape the dough into a ball and then flatten into a disk.
  3. Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to 1/4" - 1/6" thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut out your cookies. Carefully transfer to a prepared cookie sheet, spacing them ½" apart {they won't spread as they bake}. Gather up any dough scraps and repeat until all dough is used up.
  4. Bake in a pre-heated oven for approximately 11-12 minutes, until the edges begin to become a little golden. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. {Note: cookies will harden a little within minutes of cooling, so don't overbake}. Allow the cookies to cool completely before icing.
  5. To make the icing, place all ingredients, except food coloring, into a medium-sized mixing bowl and mix thoroughly to combine. Gradually add in food coloring until you reach a color you’re satisfied with. Either dip cookies into the icing, or use a piping bag with a small nozzle to decorate {don't forget to pipe out the outline first}. Place onto a wire rack and allow to sit for at least a few hours {or ideally overnight} for the icing to set.

Notes

Note on icing sugar: this is one of my older recipes, when icing sugar was still a part of my baking... If you're looking for a refined sugar-free option, you can make your own from raw cane sugar {process in a food processor or coffee grinder in small batches with a tiny hint of tapioca starch} {this might make it just a tinge healthier ;-) }.

Note on food coloring: my two favorite go-to brands are: India Tree & Seelect.

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