Scrabble Cookies – Aren’t they cute 🙂 I always tell my kids not to play with the food, and now I am making food to play with. Such a joyful day – Loved making them, playing with them, capturing them on the camera, and of course eating them. A sugar cookies recipe can be so much fun to make. So excited to share this. ..
About the cookies; they are easy to make, and quick to eat, rewarding to play with, and can be a wonderful gift. My younger daughter’s idea about the scrabble cookie game was “If I eat them all, I will be the winner” to which my elder daughter disagreed. So there was not any game played technically. And the Scrabble Cookies were just munched and several names were written on the whiteboard (which I normally use for my photography) with the cookies.
If we talk about the flavor; these are buttery sweet with a hint of vanilla. Yes; they are crunchy, they break with a snap. Here is a very useful tip for you whenever you are baking a cookie and you want the cookie to be crunchy – just add a little cornstarch to it. It’s magical…….
Now a few things; before you start to bake, just read once:
1. Measuring the ingredients accurately is very important. It’s baking; you have to be very precise.
2. Don’t overwork the dough, we don’t want any gluten to form. Just be gentle while kneading.
3. Once the cookie dough comes together, chill it in the fridge before you start to roll for cutting.
4. Even when cookies are cut to shape, keep them in the fridge for some time before baking. Otherwise, they will lose shape in the hot oven.
5. When rolling please flour your kitchen surface as well as your rolling pin.
6. I recommend placing parchment paper on a baking tray before you put in your cut cookies. You can do without the parchment paper also, but it can be a great help for fuss-free work.
7. Use a thin spatula to lift and to keep the rolled cookies from the kitchen surface to the baking tray. Don’t get your hand into that; the dough will be very tender to handle with warm hands.
8. I have used royal icing on the cookies (can read the recipe down) Make sure that the icing is not very runny or very stiff. It should be similar to a toothpaste consistency. When you squeeze the bag, it should come out in a smooth line without breaking or cracking. If it gets stiffer you can add few drops of water to get it right. And when the icing gets too runny you can add a bit more sugar.
9. Royal icing will take some time to dry out completely; so have a little patience. Don’t try touching again and again.
10. You can make your own scrabble board also; with the same cookie recipe. Can be a great gift to someone you want to see happy.
INGREDIENTS
1. 100 gm of unsalted butter
2. 60 gm of granulated white sugar
3. 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract
4. 1 cup of flour ( maida )
5. 1 egg yolk
6. 1 tablespoon of corn starch
7. A dash of salt
INGREDIENTS for royal icing
1. One egg white
2. One cup icing sugar
3. A pinch of cream of tartar
4. Few drops of food coloring to write the letters
METHOD
In a bowl, beat the butter and sugar together using an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla.
In another bowl whisk together flour, salt, and cornstarch. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mix. Mix all together using a spatula; bring it all into a dough consistency. Remember not to overwork the dough. Shape the dough into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge until firm – at least for two hours.
On the kitchen slab dust some flour and dust your rolling pin as well to prevent sticking of the dough. Unwrap your cookie dough and roll the dough into a thin sheet. Make sure that you get an even thickness (about 2-3 mm.).
Tip: To get the even square shape of the cookies I used a cardboard cutout and a pizza cutter. It helped to work quickly and neat while cutting. You can do without the cutout as well. It’s home baking and will be enjoyed without exact dimensions. Don’t worry – just enjoy baking.
Trim the edges of the rolled-out dough and cut the rows of squares. Place the cut cookies gently on the prepared baking tray using a thin spatula. Be gentle with the shape. Cover it and keep it in the fridge for another 20 minutes.
Pre heat the oven at 180 * C and prepare the baking tray; lined with parchment paper. You can roll the leftover edges and keep in the fridge for another day’s bake or just roll it out again and make more scrabble cookies.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until you get a slight golden color on the edge. Remove from the oven and place on the wire rack to cool. Unfrosted cookies can be stored in an airtight container for several weeks.
Method for royal icing
You will need an electric hand mixer, Just put all the ingredients in a bowl and blend. It will not take a long time to get done. Once you find the right consistency remove some of the icings in another bowl and add a little black food coloring. Keep the icing in two separate piping bags.
Tip: When you are not using royal icing, keep it covered with a damp kitchen paper towel because it can dry up very quickly.
For the assemble – first of all outline the cookies neatly using white icing Then cover the inner space. If you find any bubbles just use a toothpick and you will get a smooth top. You will have to let the white cool and dry a little before applying the next color over the top to write the letters. Bake, Play, eat and enjoy.
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