Easter Cookies

I love sugar cookies! The thing that is so great about them is that cookie cutters come in pretty much any shape imaginable. I was going through some of the the cut-outs my Grandma gave me a while back and found one that is that is the shape of an axe. Not really sure what occasion that one is for, but I'll have to use it some day. A great place to find them is Fancy Flours...along with tons of other fun decorating items. The Alice in Wonderland cookie cutters are so cute! If anyone wants to buy them for me, I would be totally open to that idea.

The cookie and royal icing recipes are from MarthaStewart.com. I thought the cookies turned out great, but I probably wouldn't use the icing recipe again, just because it set up so hard.

Sugar Cookies
makes 2 dozen

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, beaten
2 Tbsp. milk
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Royal Icing
makes 2 1/3 cups

1 box of confectioners' sugar (1 pound)
5 Tbsp. meringue powder, or 2 large egg whites
add 1/2 cup water or more for a thinner consistency (I added more, but didn't measure it)
(I used the meringue powder - maybe it would have been less firm with the egg whites. I also added some vanilla extract and almond extract for flavoring.)

Directions:
1. Whisk flour, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar; add dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. With mixer running, add egg, milk and vanilla, until incorporated.
2. Transfer dough to a work surface. Shape into 2 discs, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
3. Preheat over to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with nonstick baking mats or parchment paper, set aside.
4. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes, and transfer to prepared baking sheets, leaving an inch in between. Leftover dough can be rolled and cut once more. Bake until lightly golden, about 10 min.; do not allow to brown. Transfer to wire racks to cool.
5. Ice when cooled.

Strawberry Buttermilk Cake

This cake suuuuuure smells delicious when it's baking. I adapted it from a recipe from Gourmet magazine where it called for raspberries, but since I had made a recent trip to the farmers market and bought a bunch of strawberries, strawberry cake it was! Very yummy, probably would have been good with the tart flavor of the raspberries though....or maybe a little rhubarb.

Strawberry Buttermilk Cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup plus 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar, divided
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup fresh berries

* Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter and flour a 9 inch round cake pan.
* Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
* Beat butter, and 2/3 cup sugar with an electric mixer, about 2 minutes, then beat in vanilla. Add egg and beat well.
* At a low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour and mixing until just combined.
* Spoon batter into cake pan, scatter berries over top and sprinkle with remaining sugar.








* Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 25 t0 30 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more. Invert onto to plate, and serve!



We gobbled this up with french vanilla ice cream (a la Rite Aid) but whipped cream would be great too.....make it and enjoy!