Sugar Cookies In A Fun Bouquet

My sous chef dish-washing mom and I belong to a garden club. By the very nature of “garden” club one might think we are gardeners.  That would be wrong.  We like plants, we have both toyed with growing a flowering plant or two, but gardeners we are not.

We do have this little garden close by the house but the “real” gardening (and weeding) is done by the love of my life, our Chief Gardener!

Once a year it is “our turn” for mom and I to host the garden club members for a brunch/lunch meeting.  Typically members will decorate the center of each table with a floral arrangement.  Mom and I were talking about what we should do for our floral arrangements  and we got to thinking about doing what we know best — something from the kitchen!

We decided on making sugar cookies in the shape of flowers (great idea) and then making them into a table arrangement (another great idea!)

Our first practice round looked like these.  Cute, very tasty but not much like flowers.  That was when we knew we needed to call in reinforcements!

We wanted our flowers to be free-form and so we made the dough into a ball, squished it with the bottom of a glass and then carefully inserted baking dowels gently into the middle of the dough.

When our very-talented and darling neighbor Abby arrived, we had 80-some cookies frosted with a glossy colorful frosting, ready to be transformed into flowers.

Abby is a culinary arts major and decorating cookies is child’s play for her.  I suggested I could “help” since we had so many cookies to decorate.  After one attempt we both agreed that I would be the cookie foreman, keeping the frosting made, mom would do the dishes and Abby – well, she would create!

I am including three recipes with this post.  My Gram’s sugar cookie recipe which you can see HERE as Christmas cookies.  Then there is the colorful glossy icing that dries hard and shiny and is perfect for frosting the cookies.

Buttercream Decorator Frosting

And finally, the butter cream frosting Abby made to use as decorator icing.  All-in-all I wouldn’t do anything different.

My neighbor Kathy can’t eat chocolate and so whenever we bake something that is “non-chocolate”  she gets some!  I am told she shared these with her granddaughter.

Happy Baking!
Blessings, Catherine

Sugar Cookies

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Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

1 hour 5 mins

After making this sugar cookie recipe you won't want to use any other one. Crispy on the outside and moist and yummy on the inside. Just perfect every time.

Author: Adapted by Catherine Daugherty

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 4 dozen

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 Cup Powdered Sugar
• 1 Cup Butter or Margarine,* softened
• 1 Cup Vegetable Oil
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 4 Cups and 4 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar
• Sugar, frosting, or sprinkles as desired

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Cream sugars and butter; add oil and beat on high until light and fluffy.
3. Mix in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla.
4. Mix flour, salt, soda, cream of tartar. Stir into the wet ingredients.
5. Use medium cookie scoop, roll dough into balls. Using the bottom of a glass, press into sugar and then press cookie ball down on cookie sheet to flatten slightly. If you are making into flowers then gently insert a cookie stick into the middle of the dough, making sure it does not poke through the dough.
6. Bake for 10 minutes. The cookies will be light colored but done at 10 minutes. If you want them crisp and brown add another minute or two. They will spread slightly when baking so be sure and allow plenty of space around the dough.
7. Frost and decorate as desired.

Notes

* I use butter, not margarine, but the original recipe says either one works.

To place cookie flowers into floral arrangement, add floral oasis into a flower pot, making it as tight as possible. Gently stick each cookie into the oasis forming a bouquet. Cover top with decorator grass.

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Glossy Sugar Cookie Frosting

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Prep time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

This frosting will "dry" hard and is a perfect frosting to use alone or in conjunction with decorator frosting on sugar cookies

Author: Adapted by Catherine Daugherty

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: Frosts 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Confectioner's Sugar
• 4 Teaspoons Light Corn Syrup
• 4 Teaspoons Milk (or more for desired consistency)
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• ¼ Teaspoon almond extract * Optional
• Food Coloring as desired

Instructions

1. Mix all together with small wire whip. Add milk for desired consistency.
2. Add food coloring as desired.
3. Frost cookies using small amount of frosting as this will spread slightly as you use it. Try not to put so much on the cookie that it runs off the sides.
4. Enjoy!

Notes

After this frosting is dry, decorator frosting can be piped over this for a "stand up" look.

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Buttercream Decorator Frosting

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Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

Exceptional frosting and very easy to make. Use alone to frost cookies or cake, or place in piping bag to create a lovely decoration.

Author: Adapted by Catherine Daugherty

Recipe type: Dessert

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Softened Butter (2 sticks)
• 32 Ounces Powdered Sugar (Approximately 8 cups)
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• Milk to desired consistency.

Instructions

1. In a mixer combine butter, sugar and vanilla mixing slowly.
2. Turn mixer to medium and begin to whip the frosting add milk 1 teaspoon at a time.
3. Continue beating until the frosting is very light and fluffy. Keep adding milk 1 teaspoon at a time until frosting is desired consistency.
4. Use as base frosting for cookies or cake or as piping for decorating.

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