Nutcracker Sweets Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

The elves are out everywhere at

Purple Chocolat Home

now that Christmas preparations

have started. 

This is Leonard and he is the head chef in the

kitchen here at Purple Chocolat Home (you can kind

of tell because he dresses all in white).

He would like to invite you into the kitchen to

make the Nutcracker Sweet cookies that were

featured in our tablescape yesterday.

He and the other kitchen elves (along with Jessica

and Lindsay) cooked up some gorgeous

sugar cookies.

They have made a lot for you to try.  There should

even be enough to take some home with you.

The elves picked out the bright Christmas reds and

greens.  I think they did a fabulous job.

Hearts and candy canes, swirls and initials,

... it is going to be hard to choose.

I am going to choose this one.  I love the little flourish at

the center of the heart and the dots almost look like

red hots.

Leonard hopes you enjoyed your sweets today and

invites you to come back for more all through

December (boy are we going to put on weight!)

Why is he so thin?

(We made these the night before with our Young Women.)

Make a batch of these and add a little joy to your season.

These cookies were featured in a previous post.

Click here for step by step instructions.

I will include the basic recipes here.

Super Easy Sugar Cookie Recipe

1 box Betty Crocker's French Vanilla cake mix

1 large egg

1/2 C. butter, softened, almost melted

3 T. flour

Mix all of the above until it forms a ball.  If it won't mix

into a ball, add a few sprinkles of water and mix again.

You do not have to chill to roll these out.  Roll out on

parchment paper (if desired) on the cookie sheet.  This

way you don't have to use any extra flour, or very

little and it makes re-rolling the scraps easy. 

Bake the cookies at 350 for 8 minutes.  (The original

recipe said 375 for 7, but I like the 350 better.)

Do not overbake.  You want the cookies to just

look dry on the top and not be brown.  Let cool.

Make 12-18 depending on the size of cookie.

Royal Frosting

2 1/2 T. meringue powder or powdered egg white

4 1/2 C. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

3/4 C. water

Beat the above for about 10 minutes.  ( I have cut the

frosting recipe in half from the original.  This should

still frost 2 batches of the cookies.)

Color as desired.  Place in squeeze bottles to apply.

The original post gives step by step instructions

on how to achieve the designs on the cookies.

Surprisingly easy and very delicious!

Click here for a printable recipe.

Oh, I have to mention I won a beautiful

silver spoon from Johanna.  Thanks

Johanna.  I can't believe she is sending

it all the way from Germany!  What

a treat to own one of her spoons.  Visit

her lovely blog, you can even get the

German translated. 

Posting with

Foodie Fridays, 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies,

Just Something I Whipped Up Mondays