Sunspot Cookies

x 1

Delicious sugar cookies decorated to resemble sunspots on the Sun.

Prep Time

45 min

Cook Time

12 min

Total Time

1 hour

Serves

12

Servings

12

bowl
electric mixer
rolling pin
cookie cutter
baking sheet
parchment paper
wire rack
toothpick
Dessert
Cookie
Baking

Cookies

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup flour plus extra for rolling out the dough
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation

  1. In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together.
  2. In a big bowl, beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
  3. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract, and beat until mixed together nicely.
  4. Sprinkle half the flour mixture over the top, and beat until combined. Then add the other half of the flour and beat again.
  5. Once everything is mixed together, stop beating to avoid overworking the dough.
  6. Sprinkle some flour over the counter or a cutting board. Move your dough onto it and form it into a mound.
  7. Flatten the mound with your hand and roll the dough out with a rolling pin until it's about 1/4 inch thick.
  8. Cut out Sun shapes with a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass. Gather the dough and roll it out again to cut out more cookies.
  9. Place your cookies on parchment paper on a baking sheet and put them in the freezer while your oven preheats to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  10. Move the cookies straight from the freezer into the preheated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes until barely browned on the edges.
  11. Let them sit on the hot cookie sheet for a few minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Icing

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 3/5 teaspoon milk

Preparation

  1. Put the powdered sugar in a bowl and add the milk a teaspoon at a time, stirring after each addition until you reach a nice, thick consistency.
  2. Split the icing between two bowls. Add 3 drops of yellow food coloring to the first bowl and 2 drops of red and 2 drops of yellow to the second bowl to create orange icing.

Decorating

Ingredients

  • 1 mini chocolate chips or chocolate sprinkles, or finely chopped chocolate pieces

Preparation

  1. Spread yellow icing over the top of each cooled cookie with a butter knife.
  2. Before the yellow icing hardens, drip some orange icing on top and use a toothpick to mix the two colors together, creating different patterns.
  3. Place a few chocolate chips, sprinkles, or other small chocolate pieces on top of each cookie to resemble sunspots.