Abstract Art Cookies

Abstract Art Cookies
Con Poulos for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Susan Spungen. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(631)
Comments
Read comments

Some cookies feature tightly piped designs that require a master draftsman’s talents. That’s not this cookie, which looks best decorated with a looser hand. Here, sugar cookie dough is flavored with rosemary and lemon zest, baked, coated with lemony glaze, and sprinkled with crushed pistachios, freeze-dried raspberries, rose petals and pomegranate seeds. Finally, they are drizzled with a bit of pink glaze, Jackson Pollock-style. Each one looks like a little abstract painting, no special skills needed.

Featured in: 12 Stunning Cookies That Will Impress Everyone You Know

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Ingredients

Yield:About 2 dozen cookies

    For the Glaze

    • 1(1-pound/455-gram) box confectioners’ sugar (3¾ cups), plus more if needed
    • 3tablespoons light corn syrup
    • 2teaspoons fresh lemon juice
    • 3 to 4tablespoons warm water, plus more as needed

    For the Cookies and Decorating

    • 1recipe Basic Sugar Cookies, dough flavored with 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary and zest of 1 lemon, cut into 3-inch squares and cooled
    • ¼cup finely chopped raw (not roasted) pistachios
    • 2tablespoons crushed freeze-dried raspberries
    • 2tablespoons dried edible rose petals
    • ¼cup pomegranate seeds, blotted dry
    • 2teaspoons pomegranate juice
    • 3tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (24 servings)

95 calories; 1 gram fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 22 grams sugars; 0 grams protein; 2 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prepare the glaze: Add box of confectioners’ sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice and 3 tablespoons warm water to a medium bowl. Stir with a fork to combine well, slowly adding water as needed to achieve the desired consistency. You should have 2 cups of glaze. Test the glaze on a cookie as you go: If it doesn’t spread out on its own to a smooth finish within 10 seconds, it is too thick and needs more water. If it runs off the edge of the cookie, it’s too thin and needs more confectioners’ sugar.

  2. Step 2

    Let glaze sit, tightly covered until ready to use, stirring occasionally. The glaze will keep for at least a week in a small airtight container like a glass jar.

  3. Step 3

    Decorate the cookies: Pour the glaze into a medium bowl. Holding a cookie by the edges, with the top-side down, dip into the glaze, moving the cookie around a bit to make sure the glaze coats the whole surface. Gently shake the cookie from side to side to let the excess drip off.

  4. Step 4

    Use a small offset spatula to stop the flow of icing, gently scrape the cookie against edge of bowl, and flip the cookie over. Use the spatula to spread the icing to pop any air bubbles, and make sure it goes all the way to the edges. It should quickly smooth out on its own. If not, thin out the glaze a bit until it does. Use your fingers to wipe away any icing on the outside edges.

  5. Step 5

    Place on a cooling rack set over a parchment- or wax paper-lined baking sheet. Coat cookies a few at a time. While the icing is still wet, sprinkle the cookies as desired with the pistachios, raspberries, rose petals and pomegranate seeds. Repeat until all the cookies are coated and decorated.

  6. Step 6

    Scoop out ¼ cup of the remaining cookie glaze and transfer to a small bowl. Add the pomegranate juice and 3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar (which will thicken it). Using a small spoon, drizzle the pink icing all over the cookies. Let dry completely. Cookies will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for 2 days, or up to 1 week without the pomegranate seeds.

Ratings

4 out of 5
631 user ratings
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Comments

These cookies looked so festive, I decided to give them a try. 1. The actual cookie, with rosemary and lemon zest, was terrific. 2. The glaze is cloyingly sweet. After trying one, I scraped off as much as I could get away with. Without the addition of the dried raspberries on top, it would have been awful. 3. For the pink icing, I boiled down 1/4 cup of pomegranate juice to 2 tablespoons. The color was a dark raspberry, and tasted much better than the white glaze.

Should I not put the vanilla extract into the basic sugar cookie recipe?

A few minor adjustments made this a really solid cookie- doubled both the lemon zest and the rosemary in the sugar cookie recipe, instead of water in the glaze, used lemon juice, and only 1.5 TBSP of corn syrup. Also, instead of dunking the cookie in icing, I used a fork to spread a small amount on top- just enough to hold the toppings. The icing seemed to take a little while to dry but the flavor was worth it- sweet, tart, herbal, and of course, beautiful. I would make these again.

I've made these for the neighbors 2 years and a row and will make them again this year! They are a huge hit! I omitted the rose petals in the past, but I have some I ordered for another application, so I'll be using them this year. I love that the pink icing is made with pomegranate juice instead of food coloring.

My daughter and I make boxes of cookies for our friends every holiday season. These beautiful cookies are now a staple! We’ve dubbed them “the ridiculous cookies” since they are a ridiculous amount of work, but so worth it!

I suggest icing these (and many other things!) with a mix of powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice. My mother-in-law taught me to use it with cinnamon rolls, Christmas cookies, pound cake. The lemon adds good flavor and cuts the sweetness of the sugar. It is delicious and easy!

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