Reindeer Mask Cookies

Preparation:

Special equipment

Ingredients:

Classic Sugar Cookies

• 2 cups of premium flour + extra for working with the dough
• 0.5 tsp fine salt
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 165 g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 0.5 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Royal icing

• 450 g powdered sugar + more as needed
• 2 tbsp. dry egg white
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Dark brown gel food coloring
• Light brown gel food coloring
• 9 halves of red gummy candies

Preparation:

1. Classic Sugar Cookies:
   
   In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. In a small bowl, beat the egg with the vanilla extract.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and powdered sugar with a mixer on low speed. Once the sugar is incorporated, increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer as needed to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Reduce the speed back to low and slowly pour in the egg mixture; beat until fully combined. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, increasing the mixer speed as the batter thickens, keeping the beaters moving. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beaters as needed.
4. Once all the flour is just incorporated into the dough, increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat until the dough is very smooth, about 5 minutes.
   
   
   When measuring flour, spoon it into a dry measuring cup and remove any excess. Scooping flour directly from the bag with a measuring cup will compact it, resulting in dry baked goods.
5. Remove the dough from the bowl and form it into a ball. Divide into 2 equal parts. Form each half into a flat square and wrap each half individually in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hours or overnight.
6. Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Dust another sheet of parchment paper with flour and place one piece of dough on top.
7. Sprinkle with flour and place another sheet of parchment on top. Roll the dough between the sheets of parchment into a square about 0.5 cm thick and place in the freezer for 5 minutes. Repeat with the second piece of dough.
8. From 1 piece of rolled dough, cut 8 cookies using a 6 cm cookie cutter and 4 cookies using a 5.5 cm cookie cutter. To make the masks, place 2 large cookies next to each other on the prepared baking sheet. They should just barely touch. Place a wooden skewer in the middle. Place one small cookie on the skewer in the center to secure the bottom circles together.
9. Repeat with the remaining cookies, spacing the masks about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Refrigerate while you cut the remaining dough. Gather up any scraps of dough and repeat the freezing, cutting, assembling, and chilling process.
10. Bake, rotating the baking sheets and rotating them halfway through, until the edges of the cookies are golden brown, about 12 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets on a wire rack, about 30 minutes.
11. Royal icing:
    
    In a large bowl, combine the powdered sugar and dry egg whites. Add 4 tablespoons of water and vanilla extract and beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 2 minutes (add an additional 1 tablespoon of water if necessary). The white icing will be the deer's face, so it needs to be very sturdy to maintain its textured shape..
12. Insert small tips into 3 pastry bags – 2 round tips and 1 closed star tip. Scoop 1 cup of icing and transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip.
13. Place 1/4 cup of the remaining frosting in a small bowl. Add 12 drops of dark brown food coloring and stir until smooth. This frosting will outline the cheeks and paint the mouth, so it should be thick, but not as thick as white frosting. The food coloring is quite runny and will thin it out, but you can add a drop of water if needed.
14. Add 7-9 drops of light brown food coloring to the remaining white icing in the bowl. Add a few drops of water. Beat until the icing is smooth and runny, adding more water if needed. You will use this glaze to paint your cheeks, so it should be fluid, but not watery..
15. Pipe a line of dark brown icing along the outer edge of each cheek (large cookies). This will be the outline within which the light brown icing will flow, so there should be no breaks in the dark brown line. Repeat with the remaining cookies. Once you've finished piping the outline, make sure the first cookie is dry. If not, wait another 5-10 minutes for the edges to dry. Then, fill each cheek with light brown icing.