Lobster sugar cookies

I wandered into the baking store and left with....a lobster cookie cutter.  It was cute, and I didn't want to leave empty handed, and so I picked it up.  I didn't have anything that warranted a lobster-shaped sugar cookie with royal icing.  I mean other than a clambake, what would?


But then, through a series of funny events, I'm going home to my parent's tomorrow night for grilled lobsters.  Enter lobster-shaped cookies.

Only difference is that, although I had planned to make sugar cookies with royal icing, time was not in my favor, and I instead opted for a red sugar cookie dough.  I followed Martha Stewart's sugar cookie cut out recipe, and just added red food coloring.  Don't ask me how much....enough to make the dough look red (not pink, which sometimes happens with red food coloring).

I think the final product is pretty cute:

 

And stay tuned for how these lobster-shaped cookies found lobster friends :)

Lobster Sugar Cookies
Martha Stewart's Sugar Cookie Cutouts

Ingredients:

4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Food coloring, if coloring cookies

 

Directions:

 

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.

 

Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy.

Mix in eggs and vanilla.

Reduce speed to low.

This is where you should add in the food coloring, if using.

Gradually mix in flour mixture.

This is where I actually added the food coloring.

Divide dough in half; flatten each half into a disk.

Wrap each in plastic.

Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.

 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds.

Let one disk of dough stand at room temperature just until soft enough to roll, about 10 minutes.

Roll out dough between two pieces of plastic wrap to 1/4 inch thick.

Remove top layer of plastic wrap.

Cut out cookies with a 4-inch one-piece-shaped cookie cutter.

Transfer cookie dough on plastic wrap to a baking sheet.

Transfer baking sheet to freezer, freeze until very firm, about 15 minutes.

Remove baking sheet from freezer and transfer shapes to baking sheets lined with nonstick baking mats.

Roll out scraps, and repeat.

Repeat with remaining disk of dough.

 

Bake, switching positions of sheets and rotating halfway through, until edges turn golden, 15 to 18 minutes.

Let cool on sheets on wire racks.