Happy Friday! This weekend, I’m going to see a production of Disney’s Hercules and so in preparation for that, I’m excited to share Hercules’ Medal of the Gods Cookies! Inspired by the medal Hercules’ is given by Zeus, these round sugar cookies have gold royal icing and shimmer dust!
Hercules is one of my favorite Disney movies and I’m so excited to see it coming to the stage. Years ago, Disney Cruise Line had a Hercules stage show, which I absolutely loved. They’ve since retired that show, so when I heard that the Papermill Playhouse was putting on a new version of Disney’s Hercules, I knew I wanted to see it. Of course, having this theatre trip planned also provided me with the inspiration for this week’s bake.
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To make these cookies, start by whisking together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl. Then, in a medium bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Gradually add in the flour mixture, beating on low speed, until combined. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Once the dough has chilled, roll it out to ¼-inch thickness and cut into rounds using a 2 ½ inch round cookie cutter. Place cut out cookies onto parchment paper lined baking sheets and refrigerate for 15 minutes. This helps the cookies retain their shape.
Bake the cookies for 8-15 minutes at 350 F or until the edges are just starting to brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
While the cookies are cooling, make the icing by whisking together the powdered sugar and meringue powder in a medium bowl. Add ¼ cup of warm water and beat on low speed until well combined. Beat on high speed until glossy and the icing holds stiff peaks.
Add a few drops of the gold gel food coloring. Then, stir in additional warm water, a tablespoon at a time, until icing creates loose ribbons when drizzled with a spoon. Aim to have the icing ribbons disappear back into the bowl within 10 seconds of being picked up with the spoon.
Transfer icing into a piping bag. When you’re ready to decorate the cookies, cut a small portion of the tip of the bag off.
To decorate the cookies, pipe a circle of icing around the perimeter of the cookie. Then, pipe lines of icing around the top of the cookie until it is completely covered. If needed, use a cookie pick to adjust the icing. Repeat with all cookies.
Let the icing set completely, about 1-2 hours. Place the piping bag into a ziplock bag or airtight container so that the icing doesn’t dry out.
Once the icing has set, pipe the Medal of the Gods design onto the cookies. To do this, you’ll need to make two swirls at the top of the cookie for the clouds. Then, you’ll need to pipe a lightning bolt coming down from the clouds. If you’re comfortable, you can pipe this freehand, but you can also use a yellow edible food marker to lightly draw the pattern onto the icing and then pipe over the marker. Let the icing set completely, about 1 hour.
Use a clean paintbrush to gently apply some gold shimmer dust to each cookie.
Enjoy Hercules’ Medal of the Gods Cookies! If you’re looking for more Hercules bakes, be sure to check out my Pain & Panic Doughnuts!
Hercules’ Medal of the Gods Cookies
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Royal Icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons meringue powder
- ¼ -½ cup warm water
- gold gel food coloring
Decoration
- gold edible shimmer powder
Equipment
- 2 ½ inch round cookie cutter
Instructions
Sugar Cookies
-
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
-
In a medium bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
-
Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
-
Gradually add in the flour mixture, beating on low speed, until combined.
-
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
-
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
-
Roll out the dough to ¼-inch thickness. Cut into rounds using a 2 ½ inch round cookie cutter.
-
Place cut out cookies onto prepared baking sheets and refrigerate for 15 minutes. This helps the cookies retain their shape.
-
Bake the cookies for 8-15 minutes or until the edges are just starting to brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Royal Icing
-
In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and meringue powder.
-
Add ¼ cup of warm water and beat on low speed until well combined. Beat on high speed until glossy and the icing holds stiff peaks.
-
Add a few drops of the gold gel food coloring, beating until the color is fully incorporated. Then, stir in additional warm water, a tablespoon at a time, until icing creates loose ribbons when drizzled with a spoon. Aim to have the icing ribbons disappear back into the bowl within 10 seconds of being picked up with the spoon.
-
Transfer icing into a piping bag. When you’re ready to decorate the cookies, cut a small portion of the tip of the bag off.
Assembly
-
Pipe a circle of icing around the perimeter of the cookie. Then, fill the circle in with icing by piping lines of icing around the cookie until it is completely covered. If needed, use a cookie pick to adjust the icing. Repeat with all cookies.
-
Let the icing set completely, about 1-2 hours. Place the piping bag into a ziplock bag or airtight container so that the icing doesn’t dry out.
-
Once the icing has set, pipe the Medal of the Gods design onto the cookies. To do this, you’ll need to make two swirls at the top of the cookie for the clouds. Then, you’ll need to pipe a lightning bolt coming down from the clouds. If you’re comfortable, you can pipe this freehand, but you can also use a yellow edible food marker to lightly draw the pattern onto the icing and then pipe over the marker.
-
Let the icing set completely, about 1 hour.
-
Use a clean, never been used with paint, paintbrush to gently apply some gold shimmer dust to each cookie.