More About Pastel Butter Cookies
Ingredients
Makes 40
1 cup whole blanched almonds, toasted
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon coarse salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted, plus 1/2 cup per tinted sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Freeze-dried fruits in various colors, such as blueberries, raspberries, and mangoes
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place toasted almonds in the bowl of a food processor. Add flour, salt, and cinnamon, and process until nuts are finely ground, about 1 minute.
Step 2
In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer on medium, beat butter and 1 cup confectioners’ sugar until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add vanilla and beat until combined. With mixer on low, gradually add almond mixture and beat until just incorporated.
Step 3
Using a 1 1/2‑inch (1‑tablespoon) cookie scoop, drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are just golden, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks and let cool completely.
Step 4
For each desired color, place 1/2 cup fruit with 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of a food processor; process until smooth and evenly tinted. (Sugars can be stored in airtight containers up to 1 month.) Place tinted sugars in small bowls and dip cookies, domed side down, into tinted sugars to coat. Transfer to a plate and let rest, about 30 minutes. (Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.)
Tip
We used pastel powdered food coloring from freeze-dried fruits (found in the snack section of large grocery stores) to decorate these cookies, but for a broader palette of colors, look for the array of pastel powdered sugars at specialty baking stores.
Makes 40
1 cup whole blanched almonds, toasted
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon coarse salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted, plus 1/2 cup per tinted sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Freeze-dried fruits in various colors, such as blueberries, raspberries, and mangoes
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place toasted almonds in the bowl of a food processor. Add flour, salt, and cinnamon, and process until nuts are finely ground, about 1 minute.
Step 2
In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer on medium, beat butter and 1 cup confectioners’ sugar until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add vanilla and beat until combined. With mixer on low, gradually add almond mixture and beat until just incorporated.
Step 3
Using a 1 1/2‑inch (1‑tablespoon) cookie scoop, drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are just golden, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks and let cool completely.
Step 4
For each desired color, place 1/2 cup fruit with 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of a food processor; process until smooth and evenly tinted. (Sugars can be stored in airtight containers up to 1 month.) Place tinted sugars in small bowls and dip cookies, domed side down, into tinted sugars to coat. Transfer to a plate and let rest, about 30 minutes. (Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.)
Tip
We used pastel powdered food coloring from freeze-dried fruits (found in the snack section of large grocery stores) to decorate these cookies, but for a broader palette of colors, look for the array of pastel powdered sugars at specialty baking stores.
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