Puzzle Cookies Recipes

Steps:

• For the cookie dough: Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C/350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and egg and beat again for 1 minute to combine, scraping down the bowl to ensure all of the butter mixture is incorporated.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients in 3 parts and mix until combined.
• Scrape the dough onto a work surface and slightly wet your hands. Knead the dough into a smooth disc and place between 2 pieces of parchment paper. Roll the dough out until it is 1/4 inch thick.
• Remove the parchment paper and use a heart puzzle cookie cutter to cut out heart shapes. If you do not have a heart puzzle cookie cutter, use a normal heart cookie cutter, then cut the heart down the middle with a knife to create a left and right side. Lift the cookies onto the prepared baking sheet and bake until they are just slightly golden around the edges, about 7 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
• For the icing: Add 1 cup of the royal icing mix to one bowl and the remaining 1/2 cup to a second bowl. In the first bowl with 1 cup of icing mix, create the flooding consistency royal icing. Add a drop of red food gel to the bowl and then, starting with 1 teaspoon of water, stir the mixture together with a spoon. Keep adding water to the bowl 1/2 teaspoon at a time until the mixture reaches the flooding consistency--when you drag a line through the icing mixture with a spoon, the line should disappear within 5 to 10 seconds. If the line disappears earlier, your mixture is too runny and you need to add a few tablespoons of royal icing mix to thicken the icing to the right consistency. If the line takes longer than 10 seconds to disappear, then your mixture is still too thick and you need to keep adding water 1/2 teaspoon at a time until you have the correct consistency. Once you have your red flooding icing, place a damp kitchen towel over the top of the bowl to stop it from drying out.
• In the remaining bowl, create the soft peak-consistency royal icing. Again, adding just 1/2 teaspoon of water at a time, stir the mixture together until it reaches a soft peak stage--when you lift the spoon out of the bowl and hold it in the air, the icing forms a soft peak on the end of the spoon. If the mixture is too runny and the icing falls off the end of the spoon, add more royal icing mix. If the mixture is too stiff, just add water 1/4 teaspoon at a time and mix together until it reaches soft peak consistency. Once you have the correct consistency, transfer about 2 tablespoons of the white soft peak icing to another bowl. Add red food gel coloring to the remaining mixture and stir to combine. If you would like to flavor any of the royal icing, add 1/4 teaspoon of your favorite extract, such as vanilla.
• Transfer the royal icing mixtures into separate piping bags fitted with number 2 round tip nozzles. Cover the ends of the piping nozzles with a damp tea towel at all times to stop them from drying out.
• With a cooled cookie in front of you, pipe a border of red soft peak royal icing around the edge of the cookie. Apply even pressure with your hand, and squeeze a thin line of icing along the outside of the cookie, joining the icing up at the end. Repeat on all of the cookies.
• Next, you need to flood the cookies. Pipe the red flooding royal icing inside the border you just created on each cookie, filling up the center of the cookies with icing. Use the piping nozzle to squeeze the icing into the edges to ensure each cookie is covered entirely. Allow to set for 10 minutes.
• Using the white soft peak royal icing, apply even pressure with your hand and decorate the center of each cookies with names, initials or messages. The cookies should be eaten the same day for the best taste.

Steps:

• Roll out sugar-cookie dough to 1/4 inch thick on floured parchment paper; trim into a rectangle. Slide onto a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F until golden, about 12 minutes. While the cookie is still warm, cut into quarters with a paring knife, then cut each quarter into puzzle pieces. Cool completely before separating. To decorate, mix 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar with 1 to 2 tablespoons water; brush on the cookies and sprinkle with colored sugar.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until thick. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla. Sift together the flour and baking powder, and blend into the batter until smooth.
• Heat the pizzelle iron, and brush with oil. Drop about one tablespoon of batter onto each circle on the iron. You may need to experiment with the amount of batter and baking time depending on the iron. Bake for 20 to 45 seconds, or until steam is no longer coming out of the iron. Carefully remove cookies from the iron. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
• For chocolate pizzelles, add 1/4 cup cocoa sifted together with flour and baking powder, 1/4 cup more sugar and 1/4 teaspoon more baking powder. I find that for the chocolate mixture, the iron must be well oiled to start and then brush on more as needed.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine cookie dough and flour. On a parchment paper-lined surface, roll dough into a 14x11-in. rectangle. With cookie cutters, cut out puzzle shapes. Slide a baking sheet under the parchment paper and dough. Chill for 5-10 minutes. , Remove shapes; place on an ungreased baking sheet. Place an almond on its side into the center of each shape for a handle. Bake shapes at 350° for 7-9 minutes or until edges are golden brown. While still warm, recut shapes with the same cookie cutters to form neat edges. (If cookies cool too quickly, return to oven until softened.) Remove to wire racks; cool. , Bake large rectangular puzzle on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet for 12-13 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Immediately recut the shapes inside the puzzle to form neat edges. Cool completely on a wire rack. , In a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth. Tint frosting with food coloring as desired. Frost puzzle and shapes; decorate with decorating gel and sprinkles as desired. Place puzzle shapes inside puzzle.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and butter until smooth. Combine flour and baking powder; gradually to egg mixture and mix well. Stir in aniseed and extracts., Bake in a preheated pizzelle iron according to manufacturer's directions until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Steps:

• In a medium bowl knead flour into sugar cookie dough.
• Divide dough into 6 (or more) portions.
• On an ungreased cookie sheet, roll each portion into a 5-inch square.
• Press a well-floured 3- to 4-inch Halloween cookie cutter into the square (use smaller cutters, if desired).
• Carefully remove cookie cutter without removing dough.
• Using a table knife, cut outside portion of square into large puzzle pieces.
• In a small mixing bowl beat egg yolks and water.
• Divide mixture among 3 or 4 small bowls.
• In each bowl, add 2 to 3 drops of liquid food coloring or desired amount of paste food coloring in desired color; mix well.
• Brush dough puzzle pieces with different colors of egg yolk mixture.
• Apply to cookie dough with small clean paintbrush.
• If mixture thickens while standing, stir in water, one drop at a time.
• Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 7 to 8 minutes or until bottoms of cookies just start to brown and centers are set.
• While still warm, carefully recut pieces with the knife.
• Trim edges as needed.
• Transfer cookies to a wire rack; cool completely.

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
• Beat butter and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture, and beat until combined. Add vanilla. Wrap dough in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut out egg shapes with a 2 1/2-inch oval cutter. Transfer cookies to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Bake until edges are golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Upon removing from oven, cut into pieces with a sharp knife (if they're cool, it will be difficult to create clean edges). Let cool. Using a pastry bag fitted with a 1/8-inch tip and filled with royal icing, decorate as desired. Sprinkle with sanding sugar while icing is wet. If adding dots or stripes, let base layer dry first.