|
In a large bowl, sift together
flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment,
beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy,
about 3 minutes. Add egg and beat until smooth, about one minute.
Add reserved flour mixture and mix on low speed until thoroughly
combined. Stir in vanilla. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate
for about 45 minutes.
Make cookie pattern and heart stencil while wrapped dough is chilling.
For the pattern, have your child trace his or her hand on a manila
file folder, and cut out the tracing. You will lay this on the
dough and trace around it with the tip of a paring knife. Or older
children can use their hand to outline the cookies, drawing around
it on the dough with a skewer and using a knife tip to cut along
the line. For the heart stencil, cut a heart shape from a piece
of parchment paper, discarding the center.
Preheat oven to 345 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment
paper. On a well-floured work surface, roll out cold dough to
1/8 inch thick. Cut out hand shapes. Transfer cookies to prepared
baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. Dough
scraps may be re-rolled twice.
Bake until edges just begin to brown lightly, 8-10 minutes. To
decorate the cookies with sanding-sugar hearts, lay the heart
stencil over a cookie. Combine the egg white with the water in
a small bowl. Brush the egg wash in the heart and sprinkle with
sanding sugar. Lift the stencil and repeat with remaining cookies.
Let cookies cool on pans for 3 minutes before transferring to
wire racks to cool completely.
|
