The desire to create homemade sugar cookies that look spectacular makes people in the kitchen these days try to master the use of royal icing. I’ll show you a faster way by using fondant as a decorating material. Fondant is a pliable sugar dough that is rolled out and applied to cookies. It can be shaped in many different ways, and its flavor can be altered with concentrated flavors available in stores. You can make your own marshmallow fondant or purchase fondant at your local craft store.
Here is my favorite sweets recipe that you can use as a base for your fondant-covered cookies.
Basic Sugar Cookies
1 cup unsalted butter, softened (226 g)
1 cup granulated sugar (198 g)
1/2 cup powdered sugar (56 g)
1 large egg (50 g)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (5 g)
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (420 g)
1/2 cup cake flour (60 g)
1/4 teaspoon salt (2 g)
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the softened butter, granulated sugar and confectioners’ sugar until pale in color. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the egg and beat until well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add vanilla extract and mix well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Set aside.
In another large mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, cake flour, and salt. Use a whisk to combine the dry ingredients.
Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl until all the flour is incorporated. The dough should now be ready to use.
Roll out your cookie dough. If your cookie dough is extremely soft and doesn’t roll out right away, it means the butter was too soft before mixing. Place the cookie dough in the refrigerator for an hour or two before using.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for 30-45 minutes before rolling it out. Cut out desired cookie shapes. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes. Let cool completely before decorating.
Yields 1025 grams cookie dough (2 lbs 4.1 oz.).
Prepare cookies for frosting with fondant.
When you have baked all of your sugar cookies, check to make sure the top is smooth. If your sugar cookie has a hump, it will show on the fondant covered cookie. You can use a paring knife or microplane to file off the hump and make the top of your cookie smooth.
To roll out your fondant for the cookies
Prepare the fondant according to the instructions on the package. I suggest you sample the fondant and add flavorings if needed before kneading and cutting out the fondant. There are a number of concentrated flavors on the market. A small amount goes a long way. Use only 1/2 teaspoon of the concentrated flavoring for each pound of fondant. Knead the flavor concentrate with a little (50/50 mix) powdered sugar and cornstarch to get the consistency of the fondant.
Use a rolling pin and a non-stick mat to roll out the fondant. Take a handful of fondant to start. Form a ball and then press the fondant into a disk. Start rolling out the fondant by pressing down on the fondant with the rolling pin. Lift the fondant off the mat and turn the fondant in a different direction after each roll out to make sure it doesn’t stick to the mat. Use your 50/50 mix if the fondant sticks to the mat. Roll out the fondant to 1/8-inch to cut out with your cookie cutter and cover your sugar cookie.
Roll out the fondant as thin as possible to cut out flowers or other decorations with cookie cutters.
Applying fondant to cookies.
Use a food-safe brush to spread fondant inside your cookie without touching the edges. The piping gel is the “glue” used to attach the fondant to the sugar cookie. It is important that you leave the edges out so that the cookie looks professional.
The same cookie cutter you used to cut the cookies can be used to cut the fondant. Be sure to remove any leftover sugar cookie dough from the cookie cutter and clean the cutter with a clean cloth between using the sugar cookie dough and fondant. This step is very important.
The most important thing to remember when using fondant is that moisture will turn the fondant into a sticky mess. This can be prevented by using a 50/50 mixture of powdered sugar and cornstarch. Who