Apple Cookies

It's back to school week and things are falling into place beautifully.  My two oldest are getting used to their new middle school and my two youngest are together in elementary.  My baby is a full day kindergartener and had some reservations about being away from me the whole day.  I have to admit, I was nervous too, nervous for him and nervous to what it would be like for me to be alone all day without a kid glued to my side.  I have had a sidekick for 13 years.  This is an adjustment for me too.  To celebrate a fabulous first week of school I decided to make adorable apple cookies.  I desperately wanted to make these red ( the contrast of red and green would have been so cute) but I choose to omit red dye from their diets and since I was sending them to school, I thought I would be sensitive to those who do the same.   These cookies are delicious and look just as cute green.   I altered my go to sugar cookie recipe by adding more flour to it.  Flour keeps cookie dough from spreading and I wanted to keep the round apple shape while baking.  The leaves were made with buttercream but you can use fondant or even purchase wilton premade green leaves found at craft stores or cake supply stores.  Even a fruit roll up with a mini leaf cutter would work.  Get creative and send them to school with a smile.

Roll out about a teaspoon of cookie dough.  Make sure you make them as smooth as possible.  Don't leave cracks or your cookie will seperate (see photo below).

Then take a ball tool or your knuckle to make a small indentation on the top of your green cookie ball. You just want to flatten it a little to give it more of an apple shape.  

For the stem, break  a pretzel stick in half and insert the broken part down into the cookie dough, touching the bottom.

Freshly baked and cooling.

Oops! See what happens when they are not super smooth.  You can get cracks.  Smooth cookie to the left and ugly cracked cookie on the right.  You get my drift?

Use a number 352 tip to add a buttercream leaf and...

they are ready to eat.  Or in this case, they were ready for their photo shoot.

My two youngest. Oh. Check out my back to school tree in the background.  Cute huh??

 Middle school love at it's best.

Apple cookies

1 1/2

cups powdered sugar

1

cup butter or margarine, softened

1

teaspoon vanilla

1

egg

5        cups all-purpose flour

1

teaspoon baking soda

1

teaspoon cream of tartar

2-3 drops green food coloring ( or red)

Directions

Heat oven to 375ºF. Lightly grease cookie sheet or one with parchment paper.

Mix powdered sugar, butter, vanilla,  and egg in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients.  Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Roll a teaspoon of cookie dough  like a meatball until smooth and no cracks appear.  Put an  inch apart on prepared cookie sheet.   Use ball tool or knuckle to make an indentation in the center of the ball.  Break a pretzel stick in half and insert broken end down into cookie ball. Bake for 7-8 minutes and let cool on wire rack.

Make stiff green buttercream and using a 352 tip, pipe a leaf or two on each apple cookie at bottom of pretzel stick.

Buttercream

4 sicks of unsalted butter

4-5 cups confectioners sugar ( to desired consistency)

pinch of salt

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

5-6 tablespoons whole milk

Beat butter until pale and fluffy.  Add sugar  1/2 cup at a time on medium speed in a kitchen aid mixer.  Beat on high for 2-4 minutes for fluffy whipped buttercream.  Add milk and vanilla and stir in until combined.

Adjust sugar and milk to desired constancy.  You are looking for a stiff buttercream that holds it's shape when piped. If it's too soft, add more sugar.  If it's too stiff add a bit more milk.

I'm sharing what I made at Celebration Shoppe