Red Hat Tea Cookies

Red Hat Tea Cookies
Use your favorite rolled cookie recipe or the following Sugar Cookie recipe.
(makes 3-4 dozen)

1 1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened (butter tastes the best)

1 ½ cup granulated white sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

4 cups flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. grated orange peel

8 tsp. milk
Edible decorations

1 . In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly cream shortening, sugar, orange peel and vanilla. Add eggs; beat until light and fluffy. Stir in milk.

2. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Blend into the creamed mixture.

3. Divide dough in half. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and chill one hour to overnight.

4. On lightly floured surface, roll to 1/4 to 1/8″ thick. Cut out cookies with a hat shaped cookie cutter. Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 375°F for 6-8 minutes. Cool slightly and remove to a cooling rack.

5. Ice the cooled cookies with thinned out red Royal Icing (recipe follows) and allow to completely dry on rack. Store in an airtight container in flat layers with wax paper placed between each layer of cookies.

6. When ready to decorate, use red Royal Icing to attach candied violets, hard frosting flowers, cupcake sprinkles, edible glitter, “ribbon” strips and bows made from “Fruit by the Foot” or rolled fondant. You can make daisies by flattening miniature marshmallows and cutting several slits halfway into the marshmallow all the way around it. Add a dot of yellow frosting to the center.

Check out your local cake decorating store for premade frosting flowers, sprinkles, fondant in a variety of colors, by Wilton, and other decorating supplies.

Royal Icing
Terrific for Gingerbread houses, too!

1 pound of confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar)
3 egg whites
¼ tsp. cream of tartar
Red Paste food color (available where cake decorating supplies are sold)

1. In a large bowl beat all ingredients except paste food color for 5-7 minutes with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form when beaters are lifted. Transfer to a small bowl; cover well with plastic wrap. Place a damp towel over the plastic wrap cover. Remove only as much as you will need at one time and always remember to replace cover. This icing will keep covered in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

To color icing:
Using a toothpick, transfer a small amount of red paste food color to the frosting and mix in. The red color will darken a little as it sits, so wait 5 minutes before adding more. (Be sure to use a clean toothpick every time you add paste to frosting to ensure you don’t get frosting in the food color.)When you have the desired color, take a small amount out and dilute with a few drops of milk at a time until icing is a spreading consistency. Use thinned out icing to frost the cookies. Use the thicker icing to attach decorations.

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