Gold-Medal Winner Cookies
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for dusting
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, 2 lightly beaten and 1 whole
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Yellow food coloring, for egg wash
- 1/4 cup yellow sanding sugar
- Special Equipment: 24 yards of red-white-and-blue ribbon cut into 1-yard lengths; a 3- to 3 1/4-inch round cookie cutter; a small glass or bowl (about 2 1/2-inches wide); a wide drinking straw or paring knife to cut a hole in the dough for the ribbon
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
- Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium for 3 minutes.
- Beat in the 2 beaten eggs and vanilla.
- Beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture 1 cup at a time.
- Divide the dough into 2 pieces and flatten them into neat rectangles about 3/4-inch thick.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 3 hours.
- Set an oven rack in the middle of the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment.
- Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it soften for about 10 minutes.
- Roll it out on a lightly-floured piece of parchment to 3/16-inch thick.
- Cut out rounds with a 3- to 3 1/4-inch cookie cutter and arrange them on the prepared cookie sheets at least 1 1/2 inches apart.
- Repeat with the second piece of dough, rerolling and cutting the scraps as necessary.
- To make ring imprints on the cookies, press the rim of a small glass or bowl (about 2 1/2-inches wide) halfway into each dough round.
- Freeze the cookies on the cookie sheets for 20 minutes.
- (This will help the cookies hold their imprints.)
- Combine the remaining egg with 6 drops of yellow food coloring and 1 teaspoon water.
- Whisk together with a fork to make an egg wash.
- At the top of each cookie, use a wide straw or the tip of a sharp paring knife to cut a circle or rectangle wide enough to thread a ribbon through.
- Working with 2 to 3 cookies at a time, lightly brush the rounds with egg wash (avoid the imprint) and sprinkle with the sanding sugar.
- Lightly tap each cookie on the counter to shake off excess (the frozen dough will be sturdy enough to withstand this).
- Bake the cookies until set and the edges are beginning to brown, 14 to 18 minutes, rotating the cookie sheets once.
- Transfer the sheets to a baking rack and cool the cookies completely on the sheets.
- (If the holes for the ribbon have closed up a bit, just cut away some of the dough with a paring knife while the cookies are still warm).
- Thread a yard of ribbon through each cookie and tie the ends.
allpurpose flour, baking powder, salt, butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, yellow food coloring, yellow sanding sugar
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/gold-medal-winner-cookies.html (may not work)