Sugar Cookie Paint

This is a great, hopefully more controlled alternative to frosting cookies for the holidays. It's fast, easy, and cheap to make lots! 

Step 1:

For the paint you'll need: 
1 egg white, room temperature
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 c. powdered sugar
different colors of food dye
new, clean paint brushes (plastic bristles!) 

And, while you don't "need" the paint palette - it is fun to have

For the sugar cookies, I just used a basic rolled sugar cookie recipe:
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Cream together butter and sugar - Beat in eggs and vanilla.
Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. **Cool completely before painting!! **

Step 2:

Beat the egg white and Cream of Tartar together, until stiff peaks form. Don't over beat, or it may "beak" - leaving a watery mess at the bottom of your bowl. 

Gently mix in the powdered sugar. 

Now's the time to add any clear extracts if you want a bit of extra flavor. 1/4 - 1/2 tsp is plenty

Step 3:

Separate the mixture into smaller bowls, and add a few drops of food dye to each. 

Step 4:

Paint! 

Step 5:

When you're done with your cookies, let them dry for a few minutes. The "paint" will harden, and you can stack them if needed. 

Comments

[joanlaura404]

Cool, I never thought to use brushes for frosting, I will be trying this asap!

[ProvoJean]

Re: the salmonella issue. Can I use powdered egg white? Would that be safer?

[tiana.marie.657]

Why do you need use plastic bristled brushes? I have new regular brushes I use for baking

[liquid_fire243]

You can use regular brushes - plastic ones are just easier to clean and less likely to leave bristles in the paint.

[C_Mayer]

That looks so cool

[b0bb0]

Nice! I like the bright colors.

How long does it take to dry enough?

[zamzamj]

Nice work!

[christynakatsu]

Can't you get salmonella positioning from raw eggs?

[liquid_fire243]

It's not extremely likely (I think the the numbers I've seen are something like 1 in 20,000) - and typically, salmonella is found in the yolk of the egg. But, if you're worried about it, you can always make a cooked meringue (slowly heat the egg whites in a double boiler, until they reach 160°F - then add the Cream of Tartar and beat)
There's more about it here: http://www.livestrong.com/article/503889-is-meringue-safe-to-eat/
=)

[nic nak]

nice

[Kimbrly007]

Fantastic idea and I also really like the palette :).

[poofrabbit]

Oh I can see huge possibilities for edible paint for food decorating! I'm so glad you shared. Voted for you, good luck!