Handprint Turkey Cookies Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 
  GLAZE:
• 5 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 to 4 tablespoons water
• 2-1/4 teaspoons light corn syrup
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Red, yellow, orange, green and brown gel food coloring
• 
  3-3/4-inch hand-shaped cookie cutter or scissors, pencil and a piece of cardboard for tracing a child's handprint

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream the shortening, butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg: add to the creamed mixture alternately with sour cream. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until easy to handle.
• Use a floured hand-shaped cookie cutter or trace a child's hand onto a piece of cardboard with pencil and cut out for a pattern.
• On a well-floured surface, roll out dough to a 1/2-in. thickness. Either use a sharp knife to cut around the cardboard hand pattern in dough or use cookie cutter to cut out hand shapes. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 425° for 7-9 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.
• In a small bowl, combine the glaze ingredients and beat until smooth. Set aside 1 teaspoon of white glaze for eyes. Place 1/4 cup of glaze into each of four bowls. Tint one red, one yellow, one orange and one green. Place 1 tablespoon of glaze in another bowl and tint dark brown. Tint the remaining glaze light brown.
• Frost the palm and thumb of each cookie light brown. Frost each finger a different color, using red, yellow, orange and green.
• Place the remaining yellow glaze in a pastry or plastic bag. Cut a small hole in the corner of bag. Pipe a beak on each thumb.
• Repeat with dark brown glaze to pipe a pupil in the center of each eye and to pipe wings in the center of each cookie.
• Use remaining red glaze to pipe wattles on each thumb. Let dry completely. Yield: about 3 dozen.
  
  Finished size: Cookies shown measure about 2-3/4 inches across.

Handprint Turkey Cookies published in Country Woman November/December 2002, p10