Spiced Domino® Golden Sugar Cookies
This post is presented by Domino® Golden Sugar.
Measuring Cup Cookies with Equal Sign! Domino’s New Golden Sugar works just like traditional white sugar in any recipe, so we made some measuring cup cookies to illustrate that! I used a spiced-up version of my favorite classic sugar cookie recipe and just substituted Golden Sugar for white sugar in equal amounts. It still bakes up perfectly and holds its shape, which is very important for my cut-out cookies. Plus, it tastes so good.. There’s a hint of molasses flavor!
Here’s how to make the measuring cup cookies, inspired by the illustrations on Domino’s Golden Sugar packaging.
Step 1: Prepare the cookies. Make a template out of stiff cardboard and use a small sharp knife to hand-cut the cookies into the shapes of measuring cups. This is easier to do if the sugar dough, rolled to 1/4 inch, is frozen or refrigerated for up to 1/2 hour before cutting. Place the cut-out shapes on a baking tray, 3/4 inches apart, and bake at 350 for 9 -12 minutes until edges are golden.
Step 2: Fill in the cookies. Using a pastry bag fitted with a number 1.5 metal tip, pipe a border along the edge of the cookies with a line of white icing. Next, fill in the cookies in with a looser white icing so that all the cookies are now coated in white(*see my tips about icing consistency below.) Allow the icing to dry until hard. Separate the cookies into two equal groups. With a slightly thinner icing, tinted a golden yellow color, use a brush to “paint” one group of cookies to look like they are filled with Golden Sugar. Do not paint all the way up the cookie. The white part of the cookie should still show towards the top. Let the icing dry until hardened.
Step 3: Final lines on the cookies. Put black icing (*see my tips about icing consistency below.) into a pastry bag fitted with a number 2 tip. Pipe black outlines around the borders of the cookies and add the measurement markings . Don’t forget to pipe a curvy black line below the rim of the all-white cookies to make them look like they have white sugar in them. Let the cookies dry until the icing is hard to the touch.
Optional: To give the measuring cup cookies more volume, use some very diluted black food coloring to paint in a shadow on the cookies. Make sure you blot the brush on a paper towel before applying it to the cookie.
*TIPS ABOUT ICING CONSISTENCY
This cookie requires just two icing consistencies, a loose icing for lining and a thinner icing for filling in. For the lining (or piping) icing, in this case, the white and black, make your icing the approximate consistency of toothpaste. This should allow you to make a line that is stiff enough to hold its shape but not so stiff that it’s a struggle to squeeze the bag. I begin with a thick icing in a bowl and thin it to my desired consistency.
For the painting icing, (in this case, the white and the golden yellow) thin out some icing using water or pasteurized egg whites, a little bit at a time, stirring gently but thoroughly after each addition. To test the icing to see if it is good for painting the cookie, drop a spoonful of icing back into the bowl of icing. It should fall off the spoon in a ribbon and disappear into the bowl after 6 to 8 seconds.The icing should settle smoothly when brushed onto the cookie in an even coat. The surface of the cookie should not show through.
Recipes:
Spiced Domino® Golden Sugar Cookies
Makes about 24 (3-inch) cookies
This dough is not overly sweet so it pairs well with the royal icing. That said, unfrosted, these cookies taste amazing. If you are new to cookie decorating, this is the perfect dough to get you started. Not only is it easy to work with, but it is sturdy enough to stay intact when using intricately shaped cookie cutters. The Domino® Golden Sugar gives the cookies a beautiful toasted color and a subtle hint of molasses flavor.
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons (340 grams) unbleached all-purpose white flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks or 170 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (225 grams) Domino® Golden Sugar
1 large egg
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and Domino® Golden Sugar and mix on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes, until thoroughly combined. Reduce the speed to medium low and add the egg and vanilla, mixing until thoroughly combined, about 40 seconds. Reduce the speed and gradually add the flour mixture, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed and beating just until the dry ingredients are incorporated.
Roll the dough out onto a floured surface, working in three batches. Preheat the oven to 350°F. To cut out cookies, place the cutter as close to the edge of the dough as possible and press firmly to cut through the dough. Lift the shape out of the dough, set it on a parchment lined or ungreased baking sheet, and push the dough out by pushing your index finger around the edge, being careful with the intricate parts. If the design is super-intricate, you may want to dip the cutter into flour first. Don’t forget to gather up the scraps and press them together into a disc. Reroll and cut out as above.
Bake the cookies until the edges begin to brown slightly, 9 to 15 minutes, depending on the size. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely before decorating.
Royal Icing with Pasteurized Egg Whites
Makes 2 cups
I invariably use this version of royal icing, simply because it’s the recipe I’ve long been accustomed to. Pasteurized egg whites come in pints or larger cartons in the refrigerated section of grocery stores. You can store the whole carton in the fridge, or you can freeze the egg whites in small containers if not using all at once.
Ingredients:
5 ½ cups (562 grams) sifted Domino® Confectioners Sugar
7 tablespoons pasteurized egg whites
½ teaspoon lemon juice, optional
Combine the Domino® Confectioners Sugar and egg whites in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on low speed until moistened and then increase speed to medium for 30 to 60 seconds. Add lemon juice, if using. With the mixer still on medium speed, beat until thick, soft peaks form, scraping down the sides of the bowl, 1 or 2 minutes.
How to make Domino® Golden Sugar Measuring Cup Cookies
I made these measuring cup cookies to help celebrate Domino’s new Golden sugar, that works,
cup for cup, just like white sugar in your baking recipes, but it’s less processed! These cookies
are pretty easy to decorate and would make a great gift to give anyone who loves to bake.
Step 1: Make the cookies:
Make a template in the shape of a measuring cup from stiff paper or cardboard. I found the one
Domino uses on their package of Golden sugar by searching online, but any measuring cup will
do. TIP: You could also use a cookie cutter of a mug and add a small piece of dough at the top
edge of the mug cookie to look like a spout!
Use the template to hand cut the shapes from the dough, rolled to1/4 inch thick. I always like to
cut out the inside of the cup handles. TIP: Freezing the rolled dough will make it easier to cut
out the shapes. Place the cookies shapes on a parchment lined and bake at 350 until edges
are slightly brown, 10 - 14 minutes.Allow cookies to cool.
Step 2: Prepare the icing and ice the cookies:
Prepare small bowls of colored icing in the amounts you will need, depending on how many
cookies you are decorating. Make white, black and a gold color. Keep your bowls of icing
covered with plastic wrap or wet paper towel at all times to prevent drying out. Put the white
icing, in the consistency of toothpaste, into a piping bag fitted with a small (I used a #1.5) tip.
Pipe a line on the cookie defining the shape of the measuring cup with the white icing. Allow to
set for a couple of minutes. With a looser white icing, use a brush to paint in the measuring cup. Let the side of the brush glide across the cookie making sure that the cookie is covered and the icing is smooth. This takes some practice but is
so easy and satisfying when you get it!
Allow cookies to completely harden, possibly overnight.
When the white icing is completely dry, Thin out the Golden sugar colored icing (I used mostly
yellow, with a touch of gold or brown - just a tiny bit) to maple syrup consistency. Using a brush,
paint in an area on HALF of the cookies to make them look like they contain Golden sugar. This
layer of icing can be thin since there is already a layer of white icing beneath it. Let dry until
Hard.
Step 3: Re-outline the cookies and make the measurement lines:
Put black icing, the consistency of toothpaste, in a piping bag fitted with a #1.5 tip. Outline the
measuring cups including the curved line that defines the white sugar and Golden sugar levels
in the cups. Add the measurement lines.
Step 4: OPTIONAL Paint in the shadows:
Put a teaspoon of water in a small dish. Add a toothpick drop of black food coloring. Dip a small
brush into the “paint” and blot on a paper towel. Paint in the shadows along the sides of the
measuring cup cookies. If the color is too dark add more water to the mixture. If it’s too pale,
add a tiny amount of black food color.
TIP: If you prefer, or you are working with kids, try using edible markers for the black outline and
measurement lines.
