Playing Card Cookies Recipes

PLAYING CARD COOKIES

Steps:

• In large bowl, beat butter, egg and flour with electric mixer on medium speed (or with wooden spoon) until well mixed. Wrap dough in plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper. On floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Using playing card as template, cut dough into rectangles; place on cookie sheets. Reroll dough and cut additional rectangles.
• Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack. (If only 1 cookie sheet is available, cool 10 minutes between batches.) Cool cookies completely, about 30 minutes.
• In medium bowl, beat meringue powder and cold water with electric mixer on medium speed until peaks form. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Spoon one-third of icing into decorating bag fitted with fine tip; pipe outline of playing card onto cookies. Let stand to harden, about 30 minutes.
• Thin remaining icing with water until it becomes a spreadable consistency. Spoon icing onto each cookie, spreading with back of spoon to fill in space inside outline. Let stand to harden completely, about 30 minutes.
• Draw card details with edible markers.

JAM-FILLED PLAYING CARD COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift confectioners sugar into a large bowl, then beat with butter and zest with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in yolk, then beat in flour and salt.
• Quarter dough and roll out each quarter between sheets of parchment or wax paper into an approximately 9- by 7-inch rectangle (3/4 inch thick). Stack rectangles, still between paper, on a baking sheet and freeze at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Transfer 1 paper-enclosed rectangle to a work surface (keep remaining rectangles frozen). Remove top sheet of paper and replace it loosely. Flip over paper-enclosed rectangle and discard paper now on top.
• Trim dough to a 71/2- by 6-inch rectangle with a sharp knife and a ruler. Cut lengthwise into thirds, then crosswise into thirds to form 9 (2 1/2- by 2-inch) rectangles.
• Carefully transfer cookies with a metal spatula to a buttered baking sheet and bake in middle of oven until edges are just pale golden, about 10 minutes. Cool on baking sheet on a rack 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.
• Cut and bake 9 more cookies in same manner.
• Then make "card" cookies from remaining 2 dough rectangles: Roll out and cut in same manner as above, but before baking, use cookie cutters to cut out shapes from 2 corners of each card.
• Do not cut too close to edge or cookie will break. Bake cookies in same manner as solid ones.
• Arrange 9 solid cookies, bottom sides up, on a work surface and spread each with 1 1/2 teaspoons warm strawberry jam. Top each with a cutout cookie, pressing gently to help adhere. If necessary, spoon some of remaining jam into cutouts. Sandwich remaining cookies with warm apricot jam.

POKER CHIP COOKIES

Steps:

• Line cookie sheet with waxed paper.
• Melt candy melts as directed on bag. Stir in oil.
• Dip sandwich cookies into melted candy mixture. Let excess drip off; place on cookie sheet. Let stand until candy is firm, about 20 minutes.
• Using paint brush, brush corn syrup around edge of each cookie. Roll edges in sugar crystals.
• With edible markers, draw numbers on cookies to resemble poker chips. Refrigerate until ready to serve.