Hand Cookies

Show: Episode:

Picture of Hand Cookies Recipe Photo: Hand Cookies Recipe
Rated 4 stars out of 5
  • Rate This Recipe
  • Read 6 Reviews
Total Time:
55 min
Prep
25 min
Inactive
20 min
Cook
10 min
Yield:
8 large cookies, 12 to 16 smaller cookies
Level:
Easy
x

Save To My Recipe Box

Please limit to 20 characters

Saving Recipe

Adding Recipe

Or Do Not Add

Success

This recipe was saved to your Folder_Name folder.

x

Save To My Recipe Box

Please sign in to save this recipe to your Recipe Box!!

25 Characters Max

Enter Time:

:
:

You can create up to five timers

Ingredients

Cookies:

  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 1/3 cups shortening
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon grated orange or lemon zest
  • 2 whole eggs
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons milk
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Egg Yolk Glaze:

  • 4 whole egg yolks
  • 2 drops food coloring per egg yolk, various colors

Frosting:

  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 sticks butter
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • Dash vanilla extract
  • Edible decorations, for decorating

Directions

For the cookies: Cream the granulated sugar, shortening, vanilla and orange zest thoroughly. Add the eggs and beat until light and fluffy. Add the milk and mix. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt, and then blend into the sugar mixture.

Divide the dough in half, slightly flatten between two sheets of waxed paper and refrigerate, about 1 hour (or freeze for 20 minutes).

For the egg yolk glaze: While dough is chilling, separate the eggs, reserving the whites and placing each yolk into an individual small bowl. Add 4 teaspoons water and different food coloring to each yolk and combine to make the egg yolk glaze.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Carefully cut around hands using a dull knife.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Transfer the hand cookies to a lightly greased cookie sheet and paint the cookies (with a soft brush) with the egg yolk glazes.

Bake the cookies, about 6 minutes. Do not allow the cookies to brown.

Transfer the cookies from the oven to a wire rack to cool.

While the cookies are cooling, make the frosting: Simply combine the powdered sugar, butter, heavy cream and vanilla in a food mixer until light and fluffy. If you like you can put the frosting in disposable piping bags to make decorating easier. Decorate the cookies with the frosting and any edible decorations, jewels, disco dust, sanding sugar you like.

Print Recipe

Browse Reviews by Keywordnew!

Loading review filters...

COMMENT ON THIS PROJECT

    

Sign in

All fields are required.

E-mail Address:

Password:

Remember me on this computer

Signing in

Please enter your email address and we will send your password

E-mail Address

Your password has been sent and should arrive in your mailbox very soon.

Not a member?

Sign up for My Food Network to share photos, show off your style, and connect to an enthusiastic and helpful community.

It's free and easy.

Review This Recipe

You must be logged in to review this recipe.

Newest Ratings and Reviews

Read all 6 reviews

  • on December 17, 2012

    Flag

    The finished cookies tasted delicious; however the dough was difficult to work with. It crumbled when rolled and the 'hand' had to be re-assembled after transferred to baking sheet. It did provide for a fun time though.

    people found this review Helpful.
    Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No
  • on December 15, 2012

    Flag

    These cookies took me back to when I was a child, and my Mom and I would make and decorate them for Santa. : They tasted great and were a lot of fun to cut out with cookie cutters, since I don't have little one's living at home any more. Didn't stop me from throwing on some Christmas music and singing along while making them, though. Thanks, Ree! Merry Christmas! And PS, I will never understand why people "rate" a recipe at 3 or 4 stars when they've never even tried it. . . . why bring down a recipe's rating like that?! lol

    people found this review Helpful.
    Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No
  • on November 04, 2012

    Flag

    This recipe was a little disappointing. The dough was too dry, which made it difficult to work with. There was too much water in the egg yolk "paint" which made the colors too light. And the baking time was not long enough. I made this recipe with both my kids and they had a great time, but it was challenging. I wish the recipe had been better tested, I've never had this much trouble with other recipes I've gotten from the food network website. We still love the show and will do more recipes, but we'll stick to the non-baking recipes b/c I think they're a little more forgiving.

    people found this review Helpful.
    Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No

Next Recipe

Fortune Cookies

Fortune Cookies

By: Paula Deen
Rated 4 stars out of 5
Advertisement

What's Hot

Iron Chef America

Hosted by: Alton Brown

Free Recipe of the Day Newsletter

Let Food Network chefs plan what's for dinner, with quick and easy recipes delivered to your inbox daily.

Ads by Google

© 2013 Television Food Network G.P. All rights reserved.