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It’s National Sugar Cookie Day and if you’re stuck on ideas, what better way to celebrate than some cute DIY cacti pot plant cookies! These classic sugar cookies speckled with vanilla bean are the perfect treat for any occasion, but you’ll want to keep them all to yourself JUST to stare at them. But don’t be a prick, share the cookie love ;)
Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies
(Makes approximately 40 small cookies)
Ingredients:
– 1 cup butter (room temperature + cubed)
– 3/4 cup caster sugar
– 3 cups flour
– 2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
– 1 egg
– egg white(to assemble)
– royal icing
– food coloring
– flower sprinkles (optional)
Tools:
– cookie cutters (basic shapes such as squares, rectangles, ovals, circles etc. in a number of sizes)
Instructions:
1. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add egg and vanilla bean. Mix until just incorporated.
2. Graduallyadd flour (you may not need the full three cups), and mix until dough forms and pulls away from the bowl. Divide dough into two even discs and wrap in cling wrap, then refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.
3.When ready to roll dough, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line baking trays with baking paper or silicone baking mats.
4.Roll cookie dough to 1/4 inch or more in thickness, and use the array of cookie cutters you have to mix and match shapes to create cacti pot plants. There are countless possibilities so get creative! I’ve included some examples below. Note: I used small cookie cutters — all around 1 – 2 inches in size.
5. Connect all separate cookie dough elements by brushing a bit of egg white on the edges which will act as a ‘glue’. This will ensure the joined areas are more sturdy after baking. Refrigerate for 10 – 15 minutes before baking.
6.Bake for approximately 15 minutes, or when edges begin to brown. The time will be dependant on size and thickness of cookies! Allow to cool on tray until warm to touch, then transfer onto a wire cooling rack.
Making Cookies
Roll cookie dough to 1/4 inch or more in thickness, and use the array of cookie cutters you have to mix and match shapes to create cacti pot plants. There are countless possibilities so get creative! I’ve included some examples below. Note: I used small cookie cutters — all around 1 – 2 inches in size.
Connect all separate cookie dough elements by brushing a bit of egg white on the edges which will act as a ‘glue’. This will ensure the joined areas are more sturdy after baking. Refrigerate for 10 – 15 minutes before baking.
Bake for approximately 15 minutes, or when edges begin to brown. The time will be dependant on size and thickness of cookies! Allow to cool on tray until warm to touch, then transfer onto a wire cooling rack.
Icing Your Cookies
Dye your store bought or homemade royal icing to desired colors and transfer to piping or ziplock bags. Cut a small hole at the tip of the bags. Ice pots in various patterns or keep plain. Use a ‘wet-on-wet’ technique if adding patterns, meaning after outlining and filling the base layer, pipe on the extra designs while the icing is still wet. This will result in a smooth and flat surface when dry. Leave to dry for a few hours.
Outline and fill in base layer of cacti. Leave to dry for 20 – 30 minutes, or when the icing appears to have a matte finish (rather than glossy).
Add the spines of the cacti. I thickened the royal icing for the fine lines, and used flower sprinkles for extra detailing. Other options are to use green sanding sugar (instead of piping extra lines), or edible markers to draw directly onto the royal icing.
Have fun and get creative with your designs.
So cute!
Love the cactus trend? Follow us on Pinterest for more inspo.
