When I heard that the graduation reception - at the International School of Monterey - needed cookies for the graduates, I volunteered to make them. Fifty dolphin cookies coming up! Thankfully I had enough time to order a dolphin-shaped cutter.
This is an iced sugar cookie that I have been making for years and years with slight variations on flavors. I originally started with a recipe from my cousin Tiffany who is a baker extraordinaire. My process is the same, but I change up the flavors with zests and extracts.
Ingredients
Cardamom-Vanilla Sugar Cookies
2-3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup organic granulated sugar
2 eggs
zest from 1 organic lime (I used an organic Bearrs lime), approximately 2 teaspoons
1 teaspoon pure vanilla paste (you can use vanilla paste or extract)
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
Royal Icing (my Royal Icing on #CulinaryCam)
3 egg whites, or more to thin icing
6 cups organic powdered sugar
juice from 1 to 2 organic lemons (I used Bearss limes)
To Finish
food dye (I used a natural dye)
Procedure
Cardamom-Vanilla Sugar Cookies
Sift together flour and baking powder. Set aside in a bowl.
Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs, zest, vanilla paste, and ground cardamom. Mix well. Gradually add flour mixture, until completely combined.
Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill dough for 1 to 2 hours.
Preheat over to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Roll out and shape dough with your cutters, using flour to keep them from sticking. Place on a silicone mat-lined baking sheet and place in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes to firm up.
Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 9-11 minutes, depending on size of cookies.
Cool completely on wire racks. Make the royal icing while the cookies cool.
Royal Icing
Beat the whites until stiff but not dry. Add sugar and lime juice. Beat for another minute. If the icing is too thick, add more egg whites; if it's too thin, add more sugar. Divide the icing into separate bowls. Dye whatever colors you want; I made blue for the body and black for the eye.
To Finish
Smooth the colored royal icing over cooled cookies. Add details with piped royal icing.
That's a wrap. I am excited give these to the graduates. So very proud of them!