Today is the day for Tracey's (A Cottage Industry) Virtual Cookie Exchange! I made BIG blue and white snowflake cookies. These iced sugar cookies are my go-to recipe for any special occasion. If you've been reading my blog through the years you may remember that I made these with heart shaped cookie cutters for Valentine's Day almost two years ago! 
I like to use almond extract instead of vanilla in both the cookie and the icing because I think it tastes so much better. I also think everything looks tastier when it's served on a silver platter!
I went on a hunt for French Dragees like the ones below for these cookies but I couldn't find them anywhere! I finally found out why I couldn't find them...they are ILLEGAL in California. Yep, we are not allowed to eat this little candy with trace amounts of silver in them because this is California and we only eat whole wheat, alfalfa sprouts, avocados of course cheese from California cows! LOL We can't even order these online because they won't ship them to California!!! On my next trip to Nevada, which hopefully will be in March to visit Tracey's next Tumbleweed Cotillion I will be stocking up on French Dragees and smuggling them back into California for next year's Christmas cookies! 
The recipe for the cookies can be found here and the royal icing recipe can be found here (I used the 3rd recipe (Lesley's) but I only used 3 T of meringue powder. I also used almond extract in both recipes in place of the vanilla.
Please ignore the broken cookie...I'm not perfect! I was afraid if I pulled it out I would break the other cookies so I just left it there!
46 comments:
I love these, they are almost too beautiful to eat! I have been looking for a snowflake cookie cutter and can't find one in the stores, I'll have to look online:>) Thanks for sharing your recipe too!
Good Morning,
I just hosted my 1st Cookie Exchange (I posted pictures on my blog)and next year would LOVE TO MAKE YOUR BEAUTIFUL SNOWFLAKES!!! I have snowflakes all over my home (lots of similarities to your home:yellow living room with blue decore, white and blue kitchen w/lots of blue and white plate, etc)I made a very complicated cookie recipe from Southern Living for my party; would much rather have made yours.......They are sooo pretty!
Cindy These look Amazing!! Way too pretty to eat!!! You are so talented!!!
Thank goodness for that broken cookie. You had me in tears here thinking if that Cindy gets any more perfect I'll just scream.
Those cookies are amazingly beautiful.
You never fail to wow me.
They look like works of art, Cindy! They are beautiful~ I think we have those French Dragees in our kitchen gourmet shops here in New York~ if you ever need them, give me a shout, I'd be happy to send them to you.
Carol
Sometimes I have to wonder, Cindy, if you drive your 16 year old daughter, Lauren, nuts. I am nowhere near your level of perfection and I drive my teenaged daughter nuts with "a place for everything and everything in its place". Your cookies are beautiful, of course, even the broken one!!
JUST BEAUTIFUL...ANN
Oh what beautiful cookies to go with your beautiful house and the broken cookie endeared me even more to you! Cindy really is not perfect- though I am still having a hard time being convinced of that one!!
Thank you for the recipes!
blessings
mary
Just beautiful Cindy! Too pretty to eat. I loved your tour of Vintage & Vogue. I want, I want I want! What will power you have living so close by.
Thanks for stopping by for a blog visit yesterday. Your blog and your home is just so wonderful it was like having a celebrity stop by for tea.
Only in California Cindy! They look beautiful and delish. I didn't even notice the broken one.
Cindy, your cookies are beautiful! Merry Christmas to you and yours!
I agree with some others, they are almost to pretty to eat. I bet they are delicious with the almond extract. As far as the broken one - that is real life.:) Interesting about the dragees.
Glenda
Hi Cindy...I think you broke that cookie on purpose just to try to convince you're not perfect...LOL Anyway, it's broken in a beautiful way... ;-) Bo
They looked like works of art to me. I have been wondering why we can't buy those dragees. They are so pretty and I have been trying to buy them for years here in California.
Beautiful! I would be happy to send you some French whatevers any time!
Your cookies look perfectly delicious. the broken one can be when you just want a little nibble. That's what I would do then EAT ALL OF THEM.
Merry Christmas
Wendy
Ok, I want one, even the broken one will do.
We Californians suffer for our health. That's just stupid that we can't order these online. If you know someone out of state, maybe they can order them or you order them and have it sent to their address and then they can mail it to you.
Ciao
yum pass me a cookie..I will eat the broken one for you..you did a fab job on them...have a wonderful day.. your home is gorgeous!
Stunning cookies!!
Big TX Hugs,
Stephanie
Angelic Accents
These are GREAT! I want to try soon, luckily here I can find those silver dragee (actually, I have them AT HOME right now!)!
Think the snowflake cutter is a beautiful idea, and your class in displaying the cookies, absolutely charming!!
Monica.
I love the cookies you have made. The snowflake design and the icing including the color looks really awesome!! I agree they look beautiful on a silver tray.
Everything is so beautiful & these are amazing! Thanks for the recipe link too. ☺ Diane
Beautiful, I really had to look for that broken cookie I never saw it..I saw the beauty and the love in which you put into the cookies and the atmosphere, thank you for sharing..warm hugs from vermont..mona
Cindy, you needed that broken cookie so the trolls would leave you alone...lol They are beautiful. I could eat the whole platter. vickydarnell
They look yummy! The things I learn on blogs - that's a shame you have to smuggle your candies in for your Christmas cookies. What next? Sally
Those look delicious...broken one and all! I didn't know those little candy balls were illegal, that is just insane to me.
loved the tour of that shop again. Good thing it's up by you and not me because I fear I could cause some serious damage to my pocketbook if it were closer.
Cookies look great! I wouldn't want to even eat them!
However I will have to report you to customs for your smuggling scheme. HAHA, just joking.
Trisha
Your cookies are so pretty I would be afraid to bite into it! Little yummy works of art they are!
~Tam :O
I happen to have a stash I would be happy to share, just email me with your addy girlfriend....
Love the cookies, they are too pretty to eat!
Snowflake cookies, you amaze me with your talents. Those are wonderful, Merry Christmas.
Such a lovely presentation of your beautiful snowflake cookies. I agree, the silver platter makes them even prettier than they already are! And is that a marble-topped chest of drawers? One of your projects? Nice! And I love the toile accent in the back. As many times as I've looked at your pix, I always seem to see something new!
sheri
omg! there beautiful!!!!!
yummy!
Ok everyone - I confess. It was me who broke the cookie. Cindy is just trying to cover for me. I broke the cookie when I was trying to snag one off the plate. I just couldn't resist, they looked so yummy! Sorry Cindy. ;-)
Beautiful, as usual. You continually amaze me! Hugs, Barb
That's crazy about the sugar balls (that's what we uncultured aussies call them *grin*) I want one of those cookie cutters. They look stunning.
What beautiful cookies!!! I can't believe that stuff is illegal in California. Only us!! Lol!
They are beautiful! I just bought a large copper snowflake cookie cutter that happened to be on sale for an incredible price. I made the cookies but mine were all white. Unfortunately I didn't take pictures but I was so proud of how they turned out. Did you have trouble with breakage? They were fine once they were baked but I had one heck of a time getting them on the cookie sheet!!!
Beautiful! I'm all about cookies for sure! (As I eat one more tonight...)
Merry Christmas!
Heidi
Oh how pretty! I've never seen a snowflake cookie cutter either ~ so that'll be on my list of future quests. That's crazy about the french dragees! I'll keep my eyes open for some.
Karin
Love your beautiful snowflake cookies. I ordered cookies very similar to the ones you made and I gave them out as favors for a tea I hosted. Tea and skating was the theme. Anyway, did you notice I said ordered the cookies? I am not as talented as you are and mine would never have turned out so well. Don't you always break one cookie on purpose so you can eat it? I do.
Fabulous...I think that broken cookie has my name all over it...
Blessings,
Victoria Lynn
Yum, yum! It sounds great that you are not perfect. I almost thought so for a second. At least you are very good on what you're doing, lol.
Hope you have a nice day.
Love Elzie
Dear Miss Cindy,
Absolutely stunning! I did NOT even notice the broken cookie, and really had to look to see it. But the palest blue snowflake cookies with white icing with or without dragees... gorgeous. When you go to Nevada, just don't get caught by the dragee police when returning to CA, k?
Hugs,
Penny Sue
I love your recipes, Cindy. When we moved to the farm, I packed my cookie cutters and haven't yet found them. If you go to www.asouthernseason.com (a divine place for foodaholics), they have the dragees. Maybe it's not illegal to ship them? If you can't get them, let me know I will will sneak them to you.
Cheers,
Gollum
So, so pretty, esp. on the silver plate. I am a big fan of almond extract in my sugar cookies, too, and in shortbread and anything else I think a drop of it might dress up!
Cindy, I have a great shortbread recipe for cookies that have the potential to look this good, but I don't have the knack or the patience! I admire your creativity. Beautiful.
I just love visiting your blog. The pictures are beautiful & I so enjoy your writing. Thanks for the beauty.
Debbie
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