Vanilla Ice Cream Sugar Cookies

FOR THE SUGAR COOKIES

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cream together shortening/or butter and sugar in a mixing bowl, until combined.

Mix in eggs and vanilla bean and vanilla.

Stir in flour, baking powder and salt.

Mix on med-hi until combined.

You’ll know your cookie mix is ready when most of it sticks to the mixing paddle.

Roll dough out onto a floured surface (about 1/2 inch thick)

Cut into shapes with ice cream themed cutters.

Bake cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet for about 4-6 minutes. (Pull from oven before brown)

Remove from heat and cool.

FOR THE ROYAL ICING:

Combine powdered sugar and meringue powder in the bowl of an electric mixer.

Add extract and water and beat on high for about 5 minutes.

For piping:

The icing will be very thick. Add warm water a few splashes at a time until the frosting is the consistency of toothpaste. This is for piping. Spoon out 1/4 of the toothpaste-like white icing to a tipless piping bag. Seal closed.

Spoon out additional 1/4 of toothpaste like icing into a separate bowl and color with a drop of pink food coloring. Stir until thoroughly combined. Transfer 1/3 of the stiff pink RI to a tipless piping bag and seal closed.

For flooding:

Thin the remainder of the stiff pink icing by adding a few drops of warm water. Stir and add a few more drops of water, or spray down with a spray bottle until the consistency of the icing is slightly runny when picked up with a spoon. If you run a spatula through the icing it should take around 5-6 seconds to disappear. That’s when you know the icing is ready! Transfer pink flood icing to tipless piping bag and seal closed.

Spoon an additional 1/4 of white stiff icing into a bowl to color tan. Repeat the same steps as referenced above to make the tan icing. Transfer tan stiff & flood icing to tipless piping bags and seal closed.

Now add a few drops of water to the remaining white stiff royal icing in the mixing bowl and mix on medium until combined. The consistency of this icing should be slightly runny. Use a few drops of water at a time or spray bottle to achieve the desired icing consistency. If you run a spatula through the icing it should take around 5-6 seconds to disappear. Transfer white flood icing to tipless piping bag and seal closed.

DECORATING:

For the Ice Cream Truck Cookies:

Slowly outline the the edge of each cookie with the stiff piping icing.

Pipe the shape of two windows, the ruffled awning and the wheels using the stiff RI.

Flood the body of the ice cream truck cookie with the white flood icing, using a toothpick or scribe to spread it evenly around the cookie.

Quickly poke away any air bubbles you find using toothpicks, before the icing dries.

Repeat steps so all cookies are fully covered in icing.

Allow the icing to set on the cookies and then fill in the wheels and awning. You can use pink, white or any color of choice to add these details.

Once all the flood icing has dried, use stiff RI to add the decorative details. Write the words “ice cream”, add the lines to the front window and any other details of choice.

Allow the piped details to dry and then paint the words”ice cream” in gold.

For the Soft Serve cookies:

Slowly outline the edge of cone on each cookie with tan stiff piping icing.

Slowly outline the soft serve with white or pink stiff RI. Pipe a line of icing in-between each of the (3) swirls of ice cream to create the swirled effect.

Once dry flood the cones with the tan flood icing.

Quickly poke away any air bubbles you find using toothpicks, before the icing dries.

The soft serve is divided into three swirls. Flood the bottom and top swirls with flood icing in colors of choice. Once set, flood the middle layers.

Repeat steps so all cookies are fully covered in icing.

Once the ice cream cookies have dried, outline the cone in stiff tan RI. Create the crosshatch lines on the cone by piping diagonal lines going both directions.

Add sprinkles to the soft serve with a little bit of edible gold paint.

For the Popsicle cookies:

Slowly outline the edge of the stick of the popsicle on each cookie with tan stiff piping icing.

Slowly outline the popsicles with pink or white icing of choice. 

(Optional) Pipe a line across the center of the popsicle cookie to divide two colors.

Flood the sticks of the popsicle cookies with tan flood icing. 

Quickly poke away any air bubbles you find using toothpicks, before the icing dries.

Flood the two sections of the popsicles with two different colors of flood icing. 

Repeat steps so all cookies are fully covered in icing.

Once dry decorate the popsicle cookies with painted gold sprinkles.

Allow two hours for all cookies to dry.

Enjoy!