Easter Bonnet Shortbread Cookies
see the picture at
http://www.pastrywiz.com/dailyrecipes/recipes/695.htm

Adults and children will enjoy cutting out and decorating Easter
bonnet
cookies. To streamline the process, prepare the cookies beforehand -
they
freeze well for up to 2 weeks. Let the kids ice and adorn their
cookies
with a variety of decorations, from sanding sugars to sugared flowers.

Yield: 24 cookies

For the Cookies:
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

For the Icing:
2 egg whites, or 4 tablespoons meringue powder mixed with 1/2 cup warm
water
4 cups (1 pound) confectioners' sugar
Paste food coloring in various colors
http://www.bakingshop.com/cakes/foodcoloring.htm

For the Decorations:
Colored sugar crystals, sanding sugar, sprinkles, candy dots, and/or
small
sugared flowers

Cookies:
Combine the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl. Beat together
with
an electric mixer set at medium-high speed for about 1 minute. Scrape
down
the sides of the bowl and continue beating until light and fluffy.
Beat in
the vanilla extract. Sift together the flour and salt. Blend into the
butter mixture, 1 cup at a time. Continue mixing until the dough is
smooth
and no streaks of flour remain. Divide the dough into 4 equal
portions. Pat
each portion into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30
minutes.

Working with 1 disk at a time (leave the others chilling), place it
between
2 pieces of waxed paper (or plastic wrap) and roll out 1/4 inch thick.
Remove the top piece of waxed paper, and using a 3-inch biscuit or
cookie
cutter, cut out at least 6 cookies. Place the cookies at least 1 inch
apart
on parchment-lined baking sheets. Reserve the dough scraps. Repeat
with the
remaining dough disks. Reroll all the scraps and cut out at least 24
smaller cookies with a 1-inch straight-edged cookie cutter. The
smaller
cookies will be the crown of the bonnets and the larger cookies will
be the
brims.

Place on a second parchment-lined baking sheet at least 1-inch apart.
Refrigerate both baking sheets until the cookies become very firm and
cold,
at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. (If chilling longer than 2 hours,
cover
loosely with plastic wrap.)

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Bake the cookies until firm and
sandy
gold, about 20 minutes. Do not allow them to get too dark, as they can
taste slightly bitter if overly browned. Let cool completely on a wire
rack
before icing.

Icing:
In a large bowl, beat the egg whites (or reconstructed meringue
powder)
with an electric mixer set on low speed until frothy. Sift the
confectioners' sugar into the bowl. Increase the mixer speed to high
and
continue beating until brilliant white, firm, and fluffy, about 10
minutes.
You should have 2 1/2 to 3 cups. Scoop out 1 cup of the icing and set
aside
to use for piping. Thin the remaining icing with water, adding 2 or 3
teaspoons at a time until it is of pouring consistency. Divide the
icing
among as many small bowls as different colors you wish to create, then
tint
the portions. Place the cookies on a wire rack set over a baking sheet
and
pour the thinned icing over them. If necessary, shake the cookies to
ease
the icing over the edges. This should cover the cookies with a thin,
even
layer. Allow to dry completely.

Tint the reserved 1 cup icing, if desired. Spoon into a large piping
bag
fitted with a number 2 plain decorating tip for squiggles, dots,
scrolls,
and stripes or a number 4 plain tip or 5 plain tip, or small petal tip
for
piping a ribbon. To create the bonnet, pipe a small amount of icing on
the
back of the smaller cookie and attach it onto the center of the larger
cookie.

The bonnets can be decorated in a variety of ways:

Pipe an icing ribbon and bow around the 1-inch cookie.
Pipe a series of small icing dots to resemble dotted Swiss, or pipe
decorative scrolls or stripes.
Sprinkle the icing decorations with sanding sugar while they are still
wet
to make them sparkle.
Pipe dabs of icing and attach small sugared flowers.
For a paisley look, pipe or spin drops of a contrasting color of the
thinned icing randomly over the surface of an iced cookie while it is
still
wet.
Using a bamboo skewer or toothpick, pull through the center of each
dot.
For an elegant all white cookie, ice with white icing and decorate
with
small dots of white icing to resemble dotted Swiss. "Tie" the bonnet
with a
white icing ribbon and garnish with a sugared violet.
Decorate iced cookies with sprinkles and/or candy dots.
Allow the cookies to dry for at least 2 hours, and if the weather is
humid,
overnight, before packaging.

Nutrition Facts per Serving (1/24): Calories: 329, Fat: 16g,
Carbohydrates:
45g, Cholesterol: 41mg, Sodium: 104mg, Protein: 3g, Fiber: 1g, % Cal.
from
Fat: 44%, % Cal. from Carbs: 55%

Source: Easter Treats by Jill O'Connor
Recipes and crafts for the whole family