Shamrock Cookies

I don’t think I have a drop of Irish blood in me, but I’ve always like St. Patrick’s Day. Probably because it marks the halfway point of March and is a sign that spring has arrived (or will be arriving soon). And if you are from the Midwest, you know that we’ve had an awful, awful winter. SPRING, WHERE ARE YOU?! I CAN’T DEAL.

So if you need a little cheer, make these cookies… and know that green grass, warmer temperatures, and flowers will be here soon.

Shamrock Cookies
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If you are a new to decorating with royal icing, here are some helpful tips and links:

• I used my grandma’s sugar cookie recipe, which is listed below.  Another good cut-out cookie recipe can be found at Bridget’s wonderful Bake at 350.
• I used a royal icing recipe from Annie’s Eats, which is listed below.
• If you are new to decorating with royal icing, please visit this post by Annie’s Eats, which will teach you about outlining and flooding.  Bake at 350 is also a great resource for cookie decorating and ideas (I love Bridget’s book, too!).

Here are the specifics on how I made these cookies:

• I used a Wilton comfort grip shamrock cookie cutter – I bought mine off of Amazon.com, but I’m guessing your local craft store would carry it.
• I used Leaf Green Wilton gel coloring for the green icing.
• I baked a batch of shamrock cookies, then outlined half of them with green icing and half with white.  After a few hours, I flooded the cookies with green or white icing.  After another 2 or 3 hours, piped the designs onto each cookie.

Omi’s Sugar Cookies
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1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Beat butter and sugar. Add eggs, sour cream, and nutmeg. Add dry ingredients gradually. Chill the batter overnight or for at least 4 hours. Roll out dough and cut with cookie cutters. Bake at 350F until golden. (in true fashion, my grandma didn’t give a specific baking time. I baked the cookies for about 8 minutes).

White Royal Icing
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 Tablespoons meringue powder
5 Tablespoons water

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the sheen has disappeared and the icing has a matte appearance (about 7-10 minutes).  Transfer the contents of the mixing bowl to an air-tight container. This will be the stiffest consistency of the icing, and at this point it is still too stiff to use for decorating. Add water a very small amount at a time and stir by hand until fully incorporated. Continue until the icing has reached a consistency appropriate for piping.