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Perfect Personalized Teacher Apple Sugar Cookie Gift Box Recipe

personalized teacher apple sugar cookies - featured image
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These apple-shaped sugar cookies are a thoughtful, homemade gift perfect for teachers. They feature a tender, buttery dough with a crisp edge and are decorated with colorful royal icing for a personalized touch.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 ½ cups (312 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp almond extract (optional)
  • Royal icing mix or homemade royal icing
  • Gel food coloring in red, green, and brown
  • Edible markers or piping bags with fine tips
  • Optional: sprinkles or edible glitter
  • Optional: small gift boxes and tissue paper

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  2. Using an electric mixer, beat softened butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
  3. Beat in egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract until combined.
  4. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in two additions, mixing on low speed just until combined. Avoid overmixing.
  5. Divide dough into two disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
  6. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
  7. Roll out one disk of dough on a lightly floured surface to about ¼ inch (6 mm) thickness. Use apple-shaped cookie cutters to cut shapes. Reroll scraps as needed to get 12-15 cookies per batch.
  8. Place cookies 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes until edges are just golden but centers remain pale.
  9. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely before decorating.
  10. Prepare royal icing and divide into small bowls. Tint with gel colors: red for apple body, green for leaf, brown for stem.
  11. Outline and flood each cookie with icing. After base icing sets (about 30 minutes), pipe personalized names or messages. Let dry completely.
  12. Once dry, arrange cookies in gift boxes lined with tissue paper. Add a personal note if desired.

Notes

Chill dough for at least 1 hour to prevent spreading and get sharp edges. Use gel food coloring to keep royal icing thick for piping. Practice piping on scrap cookies before personalizing. Rotate baking sheets halfway through baking for even color. Avoid overbaking to keep cookies tender. Store decorated cookies in airtight container up to 5 days or freeze up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Keywords: sugar cookies, apple cookies, teacher gift, personalized cookies, royal icing, homemade gift, holiday cookies

Find it online: https://zoeplate.com/perfect-personalized-teacher-apple-sugar-cookie-gift-box-recipe-guide/