A Cookie Factory

I love baking cookies for the children of neighbors and friends for holidays.    Put in a cello bag and tied with a ribbon, they make nice gifts and what child doesn't like a package of cookies!

Mostly, I like to do cut-out cookies which I like to frost and "paint" . . .

For Easter . . .

Bunnies, and . . .

Chicks.

And when the President of a club I'm in said that as a small fundraiser she would make and sell her famous poundcake for Easter dessert for any of the club ladies who would like to purchase them, I said -- "great -- I'll make my bunny and chick cookies!"    A half dozen cookies in a cello bag and tied with a ribbon for $3.00.

I was hoping that we could sell enough to earn $100 for the club . . .

Orders were slow in coming but then the trickle turned to a tidal wave and I found myself with orders for 85 bags of cookies -- or 42 1/2 dozen!!!

Tuesday and Wednesday, Linderhof was a cookie factory as I baked and frosted and painted and then put six cookies in the cello bags and tied them with a ribbon.

The dining room made a good staging area.   I worked on the cookies either in the kitchen or in the breakfast room and trays of frosted cookies waited for their painted embellishment.

Trays of chick cookies . . .

Trays of bunny cookies.

And a tray of each.

A tray of painted bunnies drying before they could be popped into a cello bag.

Trays of cookies ready to be delivered or picked up.  

A very successful fund raiser for my club -- $255 worth of cookies sold!    Plus the pound cakes!

Alas, none of these cookies are for family or friends -- those I will bake tomorrow.     For it isn't a holiday without cookie gifts!

The cookie recipe I've had "forever" (it was my mother's)  and after my baking marathon, I do have the recipe memorized.

LINDERHOF CUT OUT COOKIES

1 cup butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 c. sugar

3 eggs

1 T.  vanilla

1 t. almond flavoring

4 c. flour

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

Cream butter and sugar until light.    Add eggs, one at a time, then add flavorings.     Mix flour, baking powder and salt together and then add.    Mix until dough comes together.     Flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Roll to your desired thickness (depending if you like a soft or a crisp cookie) and bake until firm to the touch.

Cool on wire racks.

When cool, frost with desired frosting (if I'm going to paint the cookies, I like Royal Icing).    For Christmas, Daughter Sarah's favorite is the Christmas tree cookie cutter and green sugar.    

Royal Icing

2 egg whites (I use meringue powder)

3 cups powdered sugar

juice of 1 lemon

Mix egg whites and powdered sugar in mixer with whisk attachment for 5 minutes.    Add lemon juice and whisk some more.    If it's too thick, add a bit of milk to thin.

It's Friday and I'm joining Michael at Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday.

And I'm joining Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday.