Daring Bakers Challenge September- Lemon Footprint Cookies!

The September 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mandy of “What the Fruitcake?!” Mandy challenged everyone to make Decorated Sugar Cookies based on recipes from Peggy Porschen and The Joy of Baking. 

The cookie recipe was great as it meant the cookies kept there shape but the decorating was a real challenge - in my pregnated state I am currently not blessed with much stamina, which might ordinary overcome my lack of artistic talent or not particularly steady hand. Plus, the bonus of MTAOFC is very few pictures of the finished product so you can use your imagination. The challenge required mental toughness and an egg free royal icing substitute!

The theme was September which automatically means spring and new life for me - quite conveniently as Bruce will arrive in less than two months and it is almost time for a baby shower. These cookies were my practice run for a baby shower. Still some work needed but they tasted great (is this a recurring comment for my daring baker challenges?).

Basic Sugar Cookies with Lemon twist: 

Makes approximately 36 x 10cm / 4 inch cookies 

200g / 7oz / • cup + 6 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, at room temperature 

400g / 14oz / 3 cups + 3 Tbsp All Purpose / Plain Flour 

200g / 7oz / 1 cup Caster Sugar / Superfine Sugar 

1 Large Egg, lightly beaten 

5ml / 1 tsp Lemon Juice

Zest of one lemon

Directions: 

Cream together the butter, sugar and any flavourings you’re using. Beat until just becoming creamy in texture. 

Tip: Don’t over mix otherwise you’ll incorporate too much air and the cookies will spread during baking, losing their shape. 

Beat in the egg until well combined, make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. 

Add the sifted flour and mix on low until a non sticky dough forms. 

Tip: I don’t have a stand mixer so I find it easier to switch to dough hooks at this stage to avoid flour flying everywhere. 

Knead into a ball and divide into 2 or 3 pieces. 

Roll out each portion between parchment paper to a thickness of about 5mm/1/5 inch (0.2 inch) 

Refrigerate for a minimum of 30mins. 

Tip: Recipes commonly just wrap the whole ball of dough in clingwrap and then refrigerate it for an hour or overnight, but by rolling the dough between parchment, this shortens the chilling time and then it’s also been rolled out while still soft making it easier and quicker. 

Once chilled, peel off parchment and place dough on a lightly floured surface. 

Cut out shapes with cookie cutters or a sharp knife. 

Arrange shapes on parchment lined baking sheets and refrigerate for another 30mins to an hour. 

Tip: It’s very important you chill them again otherwise they’ll spread while baking. 

Re-roll scraps and follow the above process until all scraps are used up. 

Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C Fan Assisted) / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. 

Bake until golden around the edges, about 8-15mins depending on the size of the cookies. 

Tip: Bake same sized cookies together otherwise mixing smaller with larger cookies could result in some cookies being baked before others are done. 

Tip: Rotate baking sheets half way through baking if your oven bakes unevenly. 

Leave to cool on cooling racks. 

Once completely cooled, decorate as desired. 

Tip: If wrapped in tinfoil/cling wrap or kept in airtight containers in a cool place, un-decorated cookies can last up to a month. 

Lemon Royal Icing

I modified this recipe http://veglicious.blogspot.com/2008/07/royal-icing-decorations.html 

1 c. confectioner's sugar

1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch

2 tsp. lemon juice

food coloring (optional)

2-3 tsp. milk

Sift the sugar and cornstarch together. Stir in the lemon juice and any food coloring you wish to use. Add the milk, 1 tsp. at a time, until the mixture becomes a smooth, but thick, paste. Run a knife along the icing - if it is smooth between 5 and 10 seconds after this, it is ready.

To decorate I used icing writing tubes in red and blue.