Brown Sugar Cutouts Recipes

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, water, oil and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture., Divide dough into four portions. Shape each into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 2 hours or until firm enough to roll., Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-1/4-in. fluted square cookie cutter. Place 1 in. apart on greased baking sheets., Bake 7-9 minutes or until bottoms are light brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For icing, in a small bowl, beat butter, meringue powder, cream of tartar and salt until blended. Beat in confectioners' sugar alternately with enough water to reach a spreading consistency. Spread over cookies. Let stand until set.

Steps:

• For the cookies: Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.
• Beat the brown sugar and butter with an electric mixer on medium speed in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes; beat in the egg, then the vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix on medium-low speed until completely incorporated. Divide the dough in half, pat into 2 discs about 1/4 inch thick, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour and up to overnight.
• Position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Let the dough sit at room temperature for a few minutes to make rolling easier. Roll out 1 disc of dough at a time between 2 pieces of parchment paper until 1/8 inch thick. Cut out shapes with the cookie cutters and arrange about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake until the cookies are golden brown on the bottom, 10 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets until firm enough to transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.
• Gently gather any scraps into a ball and press into a disc; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate the disc until firm enough to roll, about 1 hour. Cut out as many cookies as possible and bake.
• For the royal icing: Beat the confectioners' sugar, meringue powder and 1/3 cup water with an electric mixer in a large bowl until stiff peaks form. Beat in the food coloring if using. (The icing can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.)
• Decorate the cookies with the icing; top with decorating sugar and sprinkles if using.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. If you want to make yourself a guide, use a 6-inch round cake pan or bowl to trace two circles onto the parchment, then turn the parchment over (so the ink won't touch the dough). Or just wing it.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl, using a hand mixer), cream the butter and brown sugar on medium-low speed until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Add the vanilla and mix on low speed to combine. Scrape the bowl well. Add the flour and salt and mix on low speed just until incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 2 equal portions (about 306 grams each) and shape into disks. Place one disk on one half of the prepared baking sheet and use your hands to flatten the dough into a 6-inch round. Repeat with the second disk, leaving 1/2 inch of space between the rounds. If using, brush a coat of egg wash onto the surface of each round.
• Use a sharp knife to score each round gently into 8 wedges--press down just enough to barely cut into the dough, to a depth of about 1/4 inch. Bake until the edges of the shortbread are just beginning to turn golden and the surface appears set, 12 to 14 minutes.
• Cool the shortbread completely on the baking sheet, then cut along the score lines into wedges.

Steps:

• In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the dark brown sugar, confectioners' sugar, minced sage and salt. Use your fingers and rub the sage into the sugar to release its flavor. Add the flour and mix to combine. Add the butter and blend on low until a smooth dough forms. Scrape the bowl and paddle and blend for another 15 seconds.
• Place the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, flatten into a disk and wrap. Allow the dough to chill for at least two hours or up to overnight.
• When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line two half sheet pans with parchment.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Working on a lightly floured surface (or between two pieces of parchment), roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness and cut out desired shapes with a 2 1/2-inch people-shaped cookie cutter. Transfer cutouts to the parchment-lined baking sheets and bake until the edges are a deep golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely on the sheet pans.