Tiny Swirly Twirly Sugar Cookies Hearts

Sugar Cookies

• 1. Sift flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt into a medium mixing bowl.
• You can use a whisk to mix if you don’t have a sifter.
• 2. On high speed in a large mixing bowl, mix the room temperature butter and sugar until fluffy and light in color. This step takes 5 minutes. Beat in the room temperature beaten egg, vanilla, orange juice, and orange zest. Mix until well combined.

3. Turn the mixer to low and add in the flour in two batches until just combined. stop when just combined! Over mixing the dough = one ?? ? tough cookie. 

• 4. Divide the sugar cookie cut-out dough between two pieces of plastic wrap, shape into disks, wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour until firm or overnight.
• 5. Position oven racks in the lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350° F. 
• 6. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with one disk of dough at a time, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick on a floured surface dusting with flour as needed. Cut out tiny heart shapes with the 1" cookie cutter. Place them on a/the prepared baking sheet/s 1 inches apart. If the dough becomes soft, refrigerate again until firm. Gather the scraps, wrap and refrigerate until firm, and cut out more cookies.
• 7. Refrigerate the cookie cutouts for 15 minutes until firm.

Sparkle Tip:

I use measuring strips for the perfect height and with a stainless steel rolling pin. I have not tried this dandy looking  thing, but it looks easy to use.

• 8. Remove the chilled cookies from the refrigerator and bake switching the pans 1/2 way through for 4 to 6 minutes. The Cut-Out Sugar Cookies are done when they are slightly puffed and a light golden in color. Remove the cookies from the oven and leave them on the cookies sheets for 5 minutes to cool. Move the still warm cookies to a cookie rack to cool completely before icing them.

These little beauties only take a few minutes to cook.

All ovens are different in baking times. Keep an eye on your sugar cookies! The cookies are ready to come out of the oven when they are just puffed and are on the verge of browning on the bottoms. This ensures a soft cookie and is the secret to keeping them delicious in a container for a few days.

Click here for more details on Sparking Charm Best Ever Sugar Cookies.

Sparkling Charm Royal Icing

• 1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, add the sugar and meringue powder. Mix on low speed until combined.
• 2. Drizzle in the 1/2 cup of room temperature water continuing to mix on low speed until the all of the ingredients are incorporated. Turn the mixer to high and continue to mix until the royal icing becomes fluffy.

The royal icing is ready when it holds a ribbon-like trail on the surface of the mixture for 5 seconds when you raise the paddle/s before disappearing back into the royal icing left inside the bowl.

• Add a teaspoon of water if the royal icing and resume mixing if it is overly thick.

Creating Royal Icing Colors

• 1. Separate the royal icing into small bowls as per the number of colors you plan to swirl.Create your colors by adding a small drop/s of the gel food coloring to each bowl and stirring into a solid color. Use wooden skewers to stir the colors.
• Sparkle Tip: If your royal icing has a slight tint and you wish to have a solid white. Add a few drops of white food coloring. I keep this on hand for cake frosting and glazes. This is especially nice if you use organic powdered sugar as it turns into a light tan when water is added.
• 2. Move to next step quickly.
• Click here for more details on Sparkling Charm Royal Icing.

Swirling and Twirling

• 1. Place a large piece of parchment paper on a work surface with icing close by.
• 2. Optional: Dip several of the cooled mini sugar cookies into each solid colors top down. Let the Icing drip off for a few seconds. Turn them iced side up and give them a gentle shake left and right to smooth icing. Place on the parchment paper to dry.
• 3. Spoon each of the icing colors onto a plate. Use a knife to gently swirl the colors.
• 4. Dip each cookie top down straight into the swirly twirly icing. Lift straight up and let the icing drip off for a few seconds. Turn them iced side up and give them a gentle shake left and right to smooth icing. Place on the parchment paper to dry.
• 5. Bag the Tiny Swirly Twirly Sugar Cookie Hearts and tie with a pretty bow, or store them in an airtight container for up to two weeks.