pretty in pink

Pink Cookies

recipe courtesy of A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg

Ingredients:

Cookies:

3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1 1/4 teaspoons kirsch, or more to taste, or a capful of cherry extract

Red food coloring

Directions:

To make the cookies, combine the butter and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and beat, first on a low speed, and then slowly increasing to medium, until light and fluffy.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour and salt, and whisk well. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating until the flour is just absorbed. Add the vanilla and beat well to incorporate. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on a large, clean surface, and turn the dough out onto it. Gather the dough into a ball, press it into a thick disk, and wrap well. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.

On a clean, floured surface, roll the dough out to a thickness of 3/8 inch. (If you don't have a lot of room, cut the disk of dough down the middle, and work with only one half at a time, leaving the second one in the refrigerator until ready for use.) Using a cookie cutter, cut the dough into whatever shapes you would like. 

Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake them one sheet at a time, keeping the second sheet in the refrigerator until the first one is done, for 16 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are pale golden at the edge. Do not allow them to brown. Transfer the pan to a wire rack, and cool the cookies completely on the pan.

To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and beat on low speed to fully incorporate, then raise the speed to medium or medium-high and beat until there are no lumps, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the kirsch and a couple of drops of red food coloring and beat well. The frosting should be a pretty shade of pale pink. Taste, and if you want more cherry flavor, beat in a bit more of the kirsch. Generously spread onto the fully cooled cookies.

Stored in an airtight container, pink cookies will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or you can freeze indefinitely.

Yield: 20-24 (3-inch) cookies