Delicate Icing Snowflakes Recipes

DELICATE ICING SNOWFLAKES

Steps:

• Beat powdered sugar, meringue powder and water in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed until sugar is moistened. Beat on high speed 5 to 7 minutes or until very glossy and stiff peaks form.
• Place icing in decorating bag with #10 tip. Or place icing in strong plastic bag; cut off a tip from one corner of bag. Keep damp paper towel over tip when not in use to prevent icing from hardening.
• Cover cookie sheet with waxed paper or cooking parchment paper. Enlarge or reduce patterns (use your browser's search to find and print snowflake patterns); slide patterns under waxed paper. Trace patterns by piping on frosting, tracing longest lines of pattern first. Use a small paintbrush dipped into water to smooth any irregularities, working on each snowflake as it is piped. For candles, draw snowflakes freehand or use toothpick or pin to etch design before piping icing.
• Lightly brush entire snowflake with water; immediately sprinkle with glitter (use only edible glitter or sugar if snowflakes are to be eaten). Let dry; remove from waxed paper. To hang as decorations, attach nylon thread to one end.

SNOWFLAKE COOKIES

Steps:

• In large bowl, mix granulated sugar, butter, vanilla and eggs until well blended. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour but no longer than 24 hours.
• Heat oven to 400°F. On lightly floured surface, roll about one-third of dough 1/8 inch thick. Cut with 1 1/2 to 2-inch star-shaped cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake about 6 minutes or until light brown. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough.
• In medium bowl, mix all glaze ingredients except coarse sugar crystals until smooth, glossy and pourable. Place cooled cookies together in pairs with about 1 teaspoon glaze, with points of top cookie between points of bottom cookie. Place cookies on cooling rack on cookie sheet to catch excess glaze. Pour 1 tablespoon glaze evenly over top and sides of each cookie, glazing only a few at time. When glaze is set but still soft, move cookies to another rack or waxed paper; sprinkle with sugar crystals. (Occasionally remove glaze from cookie sheet, and add a few drops of hot water as necessary to make glaze smooth and thin enough to pour; continue glazing.)
• In small bowl, mix frosting ingredients to make a frosting that can be easily drizzled or used in a decorating bag, yet holds its shape. Pipe snowflake designs on cookies. Let cookies dry completely before storing.