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11/14/12

Basketball Cookies in a Gift Basket for a Special Teacher



This week is teacher appreciation week at one of my daughter's high school.  It is a 'secret Santa' style appreciation where each student in a certain school club secretly treats a teacher with little appreciation gifts.  The teacher my daughter has happens to be a basketball coach as well so it was only fitting to make him some yummy basketball cookies.  A simple sugar cookie cut into rounds with the addition of orange and black icing was all it took for a great and easy cookie.  We continued the basketball theme by purchasing a red wire basket and a stuffed basketball at the Dollar Store.  A very frugal gift, yet was very cute!   (See the gift basket image at the bottom of this post).

If you are making these cookies for fun or for an event that they do not need to be stacked or packaged, I would use your own favorite frosting recipe.  I opted for a sturdy Royal Icing instead only because they were going to be stacked and packed into a gift basket.


 Sugar Cookies

1 1/2 c granulated sugar
1 1/2 c butter, soft
2 eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
4 c flour
1 t baking soda
1 t cream of tartar
1 t salt

Combine  sugar and butter, beat until creamy with your electric mixer.  Add eggs  and vanilla.  Beat well.  Add dry ingredients and mix until blended.   Chill dough until it's easy to work with;  30-60 minutes.

On  lightly floured surface roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness.  Cut out  cookies.  Bake at 350 until the edges just start to turn golden brown,  about 10 minutes.  Cool on wire racks.  Frost.


 Royal Icing  (Frosting)

4 c confectioners' sugar
3 large egg whites
1/2 t cream of tartar
1/2 t vanilla
1 T water

Beat 4-6 minutes on high.  (Add more or less water depending on stiff it is and how stiff you want it).  Will be very hard when it dries.



I drew some basketball shapes on paper to practice my designs


The final gift basket was a great $2 investment from the Dollar Store

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