Chevron Ornament Cookies Recipes

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; beat into creamed mixture. Divide dough in half; add desired food coloring to 1 portion (or different colors to each portion). Shape into two 9x4-in. rectangles 1 in. thick; freeze until firm, about 30 minutes., Using a sharp knife, cut rectangles crosswise into 1/8-in. slices. Create 2 new rectangles by stacking alternate-colored slices side by side, brushing water between slices so they adhere. Trim off any uneven dough. Roll portions between 2 pieces of waxed paper to 1/2-in. thickness; freeze until firm, about 15 minutes., Preheat oven to 350°. With a sharp knife, cut rectangles diagonally into 1/2-in. slices. To form chevron pattern, turn every other slice upside down, brushing water between slices so they adhere. Roll between sheets of waxed paper to 1/4-in. thickness., Cut with desired cookie cutters. Place cookies 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until set, 10-12 minutes. Cool 1-2 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

Steps:

• Position racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Generously flour a rolling pin and work surface. Working with 1 disc at a time, roll dough to 1/4" thick. Cut out as many cookies as possible with cookie cutters (if dough becomes too soft, chill until firm). Place cookies 1/2" apart on prepared baking sheets. Chill 15 minutes.
• Bake cookies until edges are light golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and let cool.
• Place icing in a wide shallow bowl. Add water by the teaspoon and stir to combine until slightly runny. Dip cookies face down into icing, just enough to cover the front and reach the outer edges, being careful not to completely submerge. Lightly shake cookies to level out icing. Transfer cookies to wire racks to let icing dry completely before decorating, about 3 hours.
• Mix each food coloring with a small amount of water to dilute in separate bowls; the more water you add, the lighter the colors will be. Fill 2 small bowls with clean water.
• Lightly dampen paint brush with water. Working with half of cookies and 1 color, lightly dab a few patches of watercolor "paint" over icing. Dampen brush in clean water. Brush along edges of darker paint to create a watercolor effect with the color fading out gently. For added texture, lightly tap brush over cookie to splatter droplets of color. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to dry as you work. Repeat painting technique with second color on remaining cookies. Let dry.
• Mix lemon extract and luster dust in a small bowl to create gold paint. Using a clean paintbrush, splatter cookies in gold and paint tops of ornaments. Let paint dry completely before storing cookies.
• Cookies can be made 10 days ahead; store in an airtight container at room temperature.