Easy Graduation Cap Cookies (Print)

Buttery sugar treats decorated with smooth royal icing shaped as classic graduation caps.

# Ingredients:

→ Cookie Dough

01 - 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 0.5 teaspoon baking powder
03 - 0.25 teaspoon salt
04 - 0.75 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1 cup granulated sugar
06 - 1 large egg
07 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

→ Royal Icing

08 - 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
09 - 2 large egg whites or 4 tablespoons meringue powder plus 6 tablespoons water
10 - 0.5 teaspoon vanilla extract
11 - Black gel food coloring
12 - Yellow gel food coloring

→ Decoration

13 - Mini yellow M&Ms or candy pearls for tassels
14 - Small piping bags
15 - Toothpicks

# Instructions:

01 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly distributed.
02 - In a large bowl, beat softened butter and granulated sugar together using an electric mixer for 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
03 - Add egg and vanilla extract to the butter mixture, mixing until fully combined.
04 - Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until a cohesive dough forms.
05 - Divide dough in half, shape each portion into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
06 - Heat oven to 350°F.
07 - On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 0.25 inch thickness. Cut shapes using a graduation cap or square cookie cutter.
08 - Place cut cookies on parchment-lined baking sheets and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until edges are light golden. Cool completely on sheets.
09 - In a bowl, beat egg whites or meringue powder mixed with water until foamy using an electric mixer.
10 - Gradually add sifted powdered sugar to the foamy mixture, beating for approximately 5 minutes until stiff, glossy peaks form.
11 - Mix vanilla extract into the royal icing until incorporated.
12 - Divide icing into portions: tint the majority black and a small portion yellow using gel food coloring.
13 - Add water by the teaspoon to achieve flooding consistency for coverage, or add more powdered sugar for piping consistency.
14 - Using black royal icing, outline each cooled cookie and flood the surface. Use a toothpick to spread icing to all edges. Allow 30 to 60 minutes for icing to set.
15 - Transfer yellow royal icing to a small piping bag with a round tip. Pipe a tassel and button on each cookie cap.
16 - Place a mini M&M or candy pearl at the end of each tassel.
17 - Allow decorated cookies to dry completely, approximately several hours or overnight, before serving or storing.

# Pro Tips:

01 -
  • They look impressively fancy but honestly require no special cake decorating skills, just patience and a steady hand with a piping bag.
  • The butter-rich dough is crispy and snaps satisfyingly when you bite through the royal icing, creating this beautiful contrast.
  • They freeze beautifully undecorated, so you can bake them days ahead and decorate whenever you find the mental energy.
02 -
  • Don't skip sifting the powdered sugar for royal icing—lumps will clog your piping bag and ruin the flow of your details.
  • Royal icing hardens as it sits, so make small batches of thinned icing for flooding and keep it covered with a damp paper towel between uses.
  • If your icing is too thin and won't hold a peak, beat in a little more powdered sugar; if it's too thick to pipe, add water literally one drop at a time because it thickens fast.
03 -
  • Room temperature butter is everything—take it out of the fridge thirty minutes before you start and it'll cream into perfection with way less effort from your mixer.
  • The secret to smooth royal icing that looks almost professionally done is patience and proper sifting; don't rush either step.
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