Recipe: Santa Face Cookies (and Decorating Icing using Just Whites, Woman's Day)

SANTA COOKIES (picture)

"Ho, ho, ho! Indulge in the ultimate Santa cookie, topped with thick icing and dotted with mini-candy eyes and candy-coated sunflower seeds. It makes for one sweet treat - and a terrific holiday gift."

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup each granulated sugar and confectioners' sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
Decorating Icing (recipe follows)
YOU ALSO NEED:
3 1/2-inch Santa head cookie cutter
Disposable pastry bags with 1/4-inch-wide star tip
Red and peach paste food color
Blue, peach and red candy-coated chocolate sunflower seeds
White mini-Jawbreakers

Beat butter and sugars in a large bowl with mixer on low speed until fluffy. Beat in egg, extract, baking powder and salt. Beat in flour just until blended. Divide dough in half. Shape each third into a 1-inch-thick disk; wrap separately. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper, nonstick foil or reusable nonstick liners.

On floured surface, roll out 1 disk at a time to a scant 1/4-inch thickness. Using floured cutters, cut out Santa shapes. Transfer with a floured spatula 2-inches apart on baking sheet(s). Reroll scraps and cut once.

Bake 11 to 13 minutes, until cookies are golden at edges. Cool slightly on sheet on a wire rack; move to rack to cool completely.

To thin icing for spreading: Add drops of water to tinted icing just until thin enough to spread.

To decorate Santa cookies: Use our photograph as a guide. Spread thinned peach-colored icing on cookies for faces; place 2 blue candy-coated sunflower seeds into wet icing for eyes, and a peach-colored sunflower seed for the nose. Spread thinned red icing on cookies for caps, above the face. Let dry for 2 hours.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with star tip with thick white icing; pipe thick icing for trim on bottom of Santa's cap and a white pompom at the end of the cap. While icing is wet, decorate cap

TIPS & TECHNIQUES:
Store airtight at cool room temperature with wax paper between layers up to 3 weeks or freeze up to 2 months.

DECORATING ICING
Makes 2 1/2 cups

1 lb confectioners' sugar (3 1/4 cups)
1/4 cup Just Whites (pasteurized egg whites)*
1/3 cup water

Beat confectioner's sugar and Just Whites in a large bowl with mixer on low speed until combined. Add 1/3 cup water; beat until blended. Increase speed to high; beat 8 minutes or until icing is very thick and white.

*Find Just Whites (powdered egg whites) in your store's baking section.

Source: From Woman's Day magazine