Ingredients
- 3/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar, plus extra, for sprinkling
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more, for dusting
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the icing:
- 1 pound confectioners' sugar
- 1/4 cup corn syrup
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and 1 cup of sugar on low speed until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick and cut with a 4 1/2-inch hammer-shaped cutter. Place the hammer cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature.
For the icing, combine the confectioners' sugar and corn syrup in a bowl with a wire whisk until it is a thick paste. Gradually add enough lemon juice until the mixture is a good consistency for piping.
With an extra fine juice pastry tip, pipe individual names on the hammer cookies. Let the icing set before serving.
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By SpanishHazel
on October 30, 2012
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I'm making these as I write this. I am making ghosts for Halloween and they look divinely spooky. Now I just need to pipe on some dark chocolate eyes and howling mouths. My kidss say they are delicious but I won't know until Sunday when I can eat them. (Diets are no fun sometimes... Sift the flour well and place on a paper plate so that you don't end up looking like a ghost. (Oh, and that's an Alton Brown trick! <3
By camsih700
edmond,ok
on September 28, 2010
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they are yum i loved it and im only 10.thanks ina p.s. to easy to make and i love to bake
By MandyOak
Laguna Beach, 43
on April 05, 2010
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I usually stay away from the ubiquitous sugar cookie cut-out. I just never think they have enough flavor for the effort. But, since Ina has not failed me yet in her brilliant efforts to maximize flavors (with minimum additions I thought I'd give these cookies a try!
I ended up using white whole wheat flour (just for the heck of it! and they still turned out FANTASTIC!
Slightly moist, with that buttery crunch of a shortbread cookie. I was most impressed with the icing. It sets up beautifully. I froze leftover dough, and used it about a month later. Still just as fab!
Read all 17 reviews