Santa Cookies

• Refrigerated

  • 1 Egg, large

• Baking & Spices

  • 2 cup All-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp Baking powder
  • 1 lb Confectioners' sugar
  • 1/2 cup Granulated sugar and confectioners' sugar
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract

• Dairy

  • 1 stick Butter, unsalted

• Liquids

  • 1/3 cup Water

• Other

  • ¼ c. Just Whites (see Note

Found on womansday.com

Ingredients

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• ½ c. each granulated sugar and confectioners’ sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1½ tsp. vanilla extract
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 lb. confectioners sugar
• ¼ c. Just Whites (see Note)
• ⅓ c. water
• You also need: 3 1/2-in. Santa head cookie cutter; disposable pastry bags with 1/4-in.-wide star tip; red and peach paste food color; blue, peach and red candy-coated chocolate sunflower seeds; white mini-Jawbreakers

Directions

• Beat butter and sugars in a large bowl with mixer on low speed until fluffy. Beat in egg, extract, baking powder and salt. Beat in flour just until blended.Divide dough in half. Shape each third into a 1-in.-thick disk; wrap separately. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm.Heat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper, nonstick foil or reusable nonstick liners. On floured surface, roll out 1 disk at a time to a scant 1/4-in. thickness. Using floured cutters, cut out Santa shapes. Transfer with a floured spatula 2 in. apart on baking sheet(s). Reroll scraps and cut once.Bake 11 to 13 minutes, until cookies are golden at edges. Cool slightly on sheet on a wire rack; move to rack to cool completely.To thin icing for spreading: Add drops of water to tinted icing just until thin enough to spread.To decorate Santa cookies: Use our photograph as a guide. Spread thinned peach-colored icing on cookies for faces; place 2 blue candy-coated sunflower seeds into wet icing for eyes, and a peach-colored sunflower seed for the nose. Spread thinned red icing on cookies for caps, above the face. Let dry for 2 hours. Fill a pastry bag fitted with star tip with thick white icing; pipe thick icing for trim on bottom of Santas cap and a white pompom at the end of the cap. While icing is wet, decorate capDecorating Icing: Beat 1 lb confectioners sugar (3 1/4 cups) and 1/4 cup Just Whites (see Note) in a large bowl with mixer on low speed until combined. Add 1/3 cup water; beat until blended. Increase speed to high; beat 8 minutes or until icing is very thick and white. Makes 2 1/2 cups.