Poinsettia Sugar Cookies

Orange Flavored Sugar Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
2. In the bowl of your mixer, cream butter and sugar until smooth, at least 3 minutes.
3. Stir in Dreidoppel Orange Paste and egg.
4. In a separate bowl, combine baking powder and salt with flour, pouring in a little at a time to the wet ingredients.
5. The dough will become very stiff. If it becomes too stiff for your mixer, turn out the dough onto a countertop surface. Wet your hands and finish off kneading the dough by hand.
6. Do not chill the dough. Separate into workable batches, roll out onto a lightly floured surface or roll out between two sheets of parchment paper to avoid using flour. You want these cookies to be on the thicker side (closer to ¼" than ⅛).
7. Cut with desired cookie cutter.
8. Bake at 350˚F for 6-8 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheet until firm enough to transfer onto a cooling rack.

Pomegranate Buttercream Frosting

1. Place meringue powder, sugar and salt in a mixer bowl and mix until well blended.
2. Pour boiling water into mixer bowl to dissolve sugar granules and whisk mixture on low medium speed for 1 minute.
3. Increase the speed to high and whip until meringue is fluffy with glossy peaks. Continue to whip until meringue mixture has cooled completely.
4. Gradually add the butter one cube at a time with the mixer on medium speed.
5. Once the butter has been added, add in the Pomegranate Paste or other flavor of your choice.
6. Whip on high until the butter is fully incorporated. The buttercream should be thick, creamy and glossy.
7. Decorate the fully cooled Orange Flavored Sugar Cookies by using a leaf piping tip.
8. Optional: Create the same buttercream recipe but use Orange Flavor Paste instead of Pomegranate to create the yellow centers of the Poinsettias.