Sugarplum Cookies

Sugar cookies with a fun twist: Kool-Aid mix gets beaten right into the butter and sugar, tinting the dough bright colors and adding fruity flavor without any extract. Make different batches with different flavors and you’ve got a rainbow of cookies for decorating.

The dough rolls out thin to about ⅛ inch and holds its shape well through cutting and baking. Dipping the cookie cutters in powdered sugar instead of flour keeps the edges clean without adding raw flour flavor to the surface.

These are a hit with kids, both for the colors and for the hands-on cutting and decorating. Ice them like regular sugar cookies once they’ve cooled.

Kitchen Tips

• Use unsweetened Kool-Aid packets, not the pre-sweetened kind. Pre-sweetened throws off the sugar balance and makes the dough too sweet and sticky.
• Knead the dough on a well-floured board until smooth. It starts a bit sticky but firms up with kneading.
• Roll to ⅛ inch thick for crisp cookies that hold their shape. Thicker cookies will be softer and puffier.
• Let them cool on the baking sheet for a minute or two before transferring. They’re fragile when hot.

Variations

• Try grape Kool-Aid for purple cookies, cherry for red, or lemon for yellow. Each flavor gives a different tint and taste.
• Frost with a matching color icing: mix powdered sugar, a drop of milk, and a pinch of the same Kool-Aid flavor.
• Sandwich two cookies together with buttercream for a filled cookie version.