Chili Pepper Cookies
Sweet-and-spicy cookies flavored with cayenne pepper, shaped like chili peppers and decorated with red and green icing.
Ingredients
all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups
yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup
baking powder
3/4 tsp
cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp
salt
1/8 tsp
unsalted butter (softened)
1/2 cup (1 stick)
granulated sugar
1/2 cup
large egg
1
vanilla extract
1 tsp
decorator icing (use Decorator's Icing (see page 361), with hunter/moss green, kelly green, and Christmas red food coloring)
Instructions
1
Preheat the oven
Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 350°F (about 175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or foil.
2
Mix the dry ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, cayenne, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
3
Make the dough
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 30 seconds. Gradually add the sugar and beat on medium-high until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the flour mixture on low speed in three additions, mixing until just combined. Turn the dough out and shape into a disk.
4
Roll and cut
Lightly flour the work surface and the dough, then roll the dough out to 1/8 inch thick. Use a 6-inch-long, 2-inch-wide chili-pepper-shaped cutter to cut out as many cookies as possible. Gather the scraps, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for 15 minutes before rolling and cutting again. Arrange the cookies on the baking sheets, spacing them 1/2 inch apart.
5
Bake
Bake one sheet at a time for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges of the stem ends just begin to turn golden and feel slightly firm. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
6
Make the dark green icing
Prepare the icing according to the instructions on page 361. Transfer about 1/4 cup of the icing to a small bowl and stir in 1/2 teaspoon warm water until the icing is thin enough to pipe a smooth line that does not peak. Stir in hunter/moss green food coloring with a toothpick until the icing is a dark green. Press plastic wrap onto the surface and set aside.
7
Make the bright green icing
Transfer one-quarter of the remaining icing to a small bowl and add 1 teaspoon warm water until the icing drops from the spoon without trailing and is slightly thicker than corn syrup. Stir in kelly green food coloring until bright green. Press plastic wrap onto the surface and set aside.
8
Make the red icing
Add 1/2 teaspoon warm water to the remaining icing until it does not trail and is slightly thicker than corn syrup. Stir in Christmas red food coloring until bright red. Press plastic wrap onto the surface and set aside.
9
Paint the pepper stems
Using a #6 round paintbrush, dip into the bright green icing and gently dab onto the stem area of each pepper cookie to form two small bumps that extend into the red area. Set aside to dry and repeat with the remaining cookies. Let dry at room temperature for at least 2 hours.
10
Paint the pepper bodies
Using the paintbrush, dip into the red icing and gently dab onto the uncolored areas of the cookies, one section at a time, until the entire cookie is covered in red. Let dry for at least 6 hours before outlining.
11
Outline and decorate
Transfer the dark green icing to a parchment paper piping cone. Pipe thin lines along the edges of the cookies, outlining both the outer edge and the two tips of the stems. Repeat with the remaining cookies. Let dry for at least 6 hours.
