Firework Sugar Cookies {Pipeable Sugar Cookie Frosting}

These aren't the cookies I said I was going to post for you today.  But while it's still July I thought I'd better hurry and post the ones we made for the Fourth.  I used my basic sugar cookie and frosting recipe and just piped designs on. This frosting is thicker than royal icing (it's basically buttercream) and tastes wayyy better, but also dries hard enough to gently stack the cookies after 12 hours or so.  This cookie/icing recipe is great for any holiday or themed cookie. You will probably see it a lot around here.  Someday I plan to experiment with using lemon or almond extract in place of the vanilla in the frosting.

In other news, Target should totally have a childcare station like Ikea to leave your kids at while you shop.  I would basically live there.  More than I do already I mean.

That's probably why they don't do it.

Can you imagine all those moms??

(I say this is a good idea but then I have visions of mean bully kids throwing cherry slurpees and super salty popcorn all over my poor innocent kids and the Target dog, Bullseye attacking their pants because they accidentally left some string cheese and meat stick in their pockets.  So probably I'd just keep them with me anyways and bring an absurd amount of snacks to keep them in the cart.)

Sugar Cookies 

This Recipe

(Cut cookies into circles or stars)

Sugar Cookie Frosting 

Recipe slightly adapted from Annies Eats 

-5 cups powdered sugar
-1/3 cup butter, melted
-2 tsp vanilla extract
-3-5 Tbsp milk (3 1/2- 4 Tbsp is about perfect for me)
-Food coloring

Use an electric mixer to whip powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla together until smooth. Add milk 1 Tbsp at a time or until desired consistency is reached. If you over-do it and it is too runny to pipe, let it sit for 15 minutes or so and it will probably firm up a bit.  It is best not to add too much milk, because the food coloring will thin your frosting as well and if you want to pipe it you don't want it too thin!

Spoon frosting into separate bowls for each desired color.  Tint with food coloring.  Spoon into piping bags.  Decorate cookies then allow to dry 12-24 hours before stacking.  (I usually just leave mine out on cooling racks and when they are close to being dry I lightly drape a clean dishcloth over them to keep them from getting stale.  When they are completely dry I store in an airtight container.)

*For firework cookies-  Tint frosting red, white, and blue.  Use a small round tip to pipe designs onto cooled sugar cookies.  Add star sprinkles or colored sugars if desired. 

(For the fireworks- I found they looked more like fireworks if I didn't "spiral" the lines so much, and had them going out in all different directions instead of all curving the same way.   IE... The opposite of the pciture below.)

*For Star Cookies-  Use a thicker round (or French) tip to pipe stripes on to the cookie.  Add a blue section if you wish.  Once the blue frosting is somewhat dry, add a few dots of white frosting on top.