Eggless Decorated Sugar Cookies & Weekly Menu Plan

The Christmas issue of Bon Appétit describes Sugar Cookies as Holiday Workhorse. But it takes time and patience to make the traditional sugar cookies.. Mix, chill, bake.. then make the royal icing and like a pro pipe it out make the cookies look like a work of art.. what if I told you that there was an easier way out. one that involves less time and less work. Wouldn't you be elated ? Well I was when I found the recipe to these

decorated cookies at My Diverse Kitchen...

Okay. The photos above do not look very Christmas-­y. That is because I made these cookies for my son's train-­themed birthday. I plan to make another batch for Christmas.. but not until the last day. You see these cookies with all the buttery and sugary goodness are pretty addictive treats that you do not want to over indulge in. They look attractive and can be a cute addition to a kid's Christmas stockings.. but if made well in advance they can become soft and sticky. However if you plan to make them in advance store them in air-­tight containers. Also like many whole grain goodies, these cookies taste better the next day... 

Eggless Decorated Sugar Cookies

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Recipe from My Diverse Kitchen & Veglicious
Prep time: 20 minutes                                                             Cook time: 10­-15 minutes + 30­-45 minutes
Total time: 3 hours to 3 hour 30 minutes including cooling, decorating and drying time
Yield: depends on the shapes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup + 6 tbsps unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 to 5 tbsps milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup all­purpose flour
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1­1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

For the icing

• 1/2 cup icing sugar
• 1­1/2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• few drops food coloring
• 2-­3 tsp milk or water

Cooking Directions

1. Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Cream the butter. Add sugar and beat until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.
4. Add milk and vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
5. In a separate bowl sift the flours together with the baking powder and salt.
6. Add the sifted flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix with your hand until the dough comes together. Take care so as not to over­ knead the dough, else the cookies will become hard.
7. Roll out the dough to a 1/4 inch thick sheet, then using cookie cutters, cut out the cookies from the rolled out dough sheet and place them on the prepared baking tray. These cookies do not spread much on baking so you can place them close to each other.
8. Bake them in preheated oven for 10­-15 minutes depending on the size and thickness of the cookies. When done, these cookies brown slightly on the edge and look pale on the top.
9. Let them cool for 5 minutes on the tray and then transfer them to the wire racks and cool completely before decorating them.

For the icing

1. Sift the sugar and cornstarch together.
2. Stir in the lemon juice and the food coloring of your choice.
3. Add milk 1 tsp at a time till the mixture becomes smooth thick paste.
4. Make a parchment cone and fill it with the colored sugar paste.
5. Trim the tip of the triangle a little, then holding the cone at 45 degrees angle to the work surface,press gently and draw the designs on the baked cookies and let them rest for about an hour till the paste dries off and the decorations are set.

Note : When kept uncovered, the sugar paste dries off quickly. So transfer the paste into parchment cones
as soon as you prepared it.

Next Saturday husband is flying to Texas for a conference and we are tagging along to visit my cousin and some friends. So this weeks menu is light and intended towards cleaning up the refrigerator..

	Weekly Menu Plan
Sunday	Whole Wheat Naan, Indian Chickpea Curry
Monday	Frittata with leftovers, Butternut Squash Soup
Tuesday	Roasted Vegetables, Bread and Lentil Soup
Wednesday	Cheese Souffle & Toasted Paska Bread, Spinach,Tomato,Cucumber Salad
Thursday	New York Style Pizza
Friday	Chicken Sausage with Lentils with Apple Savory Popover
Saturday	Leaving for Holidays

Sharing this with Meal Plan Monday @ Organizing Junkie 

 and Meal Plan Monday at The Diary of a Real Housewife.

I shall be sharing this at the following parties.

Monday : Mix it up Monday, The Scoop, Made with love Monday, 
Marvelous Mondays @ This Gal Cooks, Melt in your Mouth Monday, Inspiration Monday Party Sharing Monday, 
Inspire Me Monday, Clever Chicks Blog Hop,Maniac Monday Linky Party, Recipe Sharing @ Jam Hands

Meatless Monday:Meatless Monday My Sweet and Savory

Tuesday : Totally Tasty Tuesday @ Mandy's Recipe Box, Tasteful Tuesday Party @ Nap Time Creations, 
Show Me What You Got @ Our Delightful Home ,  Hand Made Tuesday @ Ladybug Blessings
Share it Link Party @ Winthrop Chronicles,  Tasty Tuesday @ Anyonita Nibbles,  Hearth and Soul blog Hop, 
In & Out of the Kitchen @ Feeding Big & More, Tuesday's Table @ Love in the Kitchen, 

Wednesday : What's Cooking Wednesday @ Buns in my Oven, Cast Party Wednesday @ Lady Behind the Curtain, 
Show and Share @ Semi Homemade Mom, Wine'd Down Wednesday, 
Wonderful Food Wednesdays at @ All She Cooks Wednesday, Whatsit@White Lights on Wednesday, 
Wednesday Extravaganza @ Hunger Little Girl, Create & Share @ The Trendy Tree House,
What I Whipped Up Wednesday @ Sugar & Dots Look, What I Made @ Creations by Kara

Thursday: Link it Up Thursday @ Seven Alive, Fantastic Thursday @ Three Little Chiefs, 
Thriving on Thursdays @ Domesblissity,  Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage , 
 Freedom Friday @ My Turn,  Thursday's Treasures @ Food Done Light,Pin it Thursday @ Sweet Bella Roos

Friday : Foodie Friday @ Simple Living and Eating,  Friday Linky Party @ The Pin Junkie, 
Get Him Feed @ Anyonita Nibbles, Friday Favorite (DYI too) @ Simple Sweet Home,  
Foodie Friday @ Not Your Ordinary Recipes, Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm, 
Weekend Wonders @ The Thriftiness Miss, Friday Food Frenzy @ Mostly Food and Crafts, 
Weekend Potluck @ Sunflower Supper Club, The Weekend re-Treat @The Best Blog Recipes