A Special Touch!

For Valentine's Day show that  man in your life how special he is by giving  him a bouquet--not a bouquet of flowers, but a bouquet of Valentine cookies you yourself have made!  It is fun to create and it will show him how much you really care! 

This recipe for Cut-Out Cookies is a good one to use because the cookies don't spread as they are baking.  For the bouquet pictured above a  5" heart-shaped cutter was used with  two batches of dough.  (There were cookies left over that weren't used in the bouquet).  Although the bouquet wouldn't be as large, a variety of smaller sized cookies would be easier to work with and would be more stable on their "stems".

Mix the dough and cut out the cookies.  For the smaller cookies, dip a 12" bamboo skewer into water and then carefully insert  it into the point of the heart.  If you are making the large cookies you need to use a 1/4" dowel rod cut to length.  Arrange on the cookie sheet and bake.  Prepare the icing.   When the cookies have cooled, decorate them to your liking.  The base of the bouquet is a piece of Styrofoam at least  3" thick which is securely anchored with tape to a large flat bowl or dish (such as the bottom of a new flower pot).   Insert the cookie stems into the Styrofoam in a way that they are standing straight up rather than leaning.  Use a couple of taller ones in the center back, and then trim the other"stems" to make shorter ones in graduated lengths to place on the sides and in front.  If you want to add color to the base, wrap it in colored foil or cellophane, and add a big bow.  You may camouflage the Styrofoam base with small tissue paper poufs wired to bamboo picks.  Add fillers of big tissue paper poufs between the cookies, and...viola!  The bouquet for your special somebody is finished!

---

Cut-Out Cookies

• In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract.
• Stir together  the baking powder, salt, and flour and then add to the butter mixture.  Mix well.  The mixture will be dry.
• Add enough milk to make a stiff dough and shape into a ball.  Wrap it in waxed paper and refrigerate until chilled--about 30 minutes.
• Divide the dough in half and roll out on a lightly floured board to a 3/8" thickness.  Cut with a cookie cutter.
• Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake in a pre-heated 375° oven for 9-10 minutes or until the cookies start to turn a very light brown on the bottom.
• Let cool on the sheet for about 30 seconds and then remove to wire racks to cool completely.
• Decorate as desired.

*  You may use 1 tsp of vanilla and 1/2 tsp almond extract if you like the almond flavor.

These cookies are good for cut-outs because they do not spread as they bake.   Furthermore, they are not as sweet as other recipes, so they are good for decorating with icing.  My favorite icing for these is the Decorator Icing.

---

My favorite for decorating cakes or cookies!  Grrreat flavor!
Decorator Icing

• In a large bowl  mix the Crisco, water, and powdered milk.
• Add the flavorings, and then gradually add the powdered sugar.
• This recipe makes enough icing to cover and decorate a 9" x 13" cake, and it will keep well in the refrigerator.

*  If you prefer. you may omit the butter flavoring and replace it with another teaspoon of vanilla.  Also, white vanilla (available in cake decorating supply stores) is nice to use because it keeps your icing  really white.