Happy Friday! Today is the first day of the Festival of the Arts at EPCOT and I’m celebrating with Mickey’s Paint Drop Cookies. These shortbread cookies topped with smooth colorful icing in vibrant primary colors. These cookies are based on some of my favorite cookies I had growing up and are a colorful twist on my Minnie’s Polka Dot Cookies. I absolutely love the combination of flaky shortbread and smooth sweet icing!
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These cookies are easy to make but they do require a bit of time as you’ll need to chill the dough and let the icing set overnight. To start, make the shortbread dough. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla extract. Next, add in the flour and salt and beat until combined. Don’t worry, the dough will be crumbly. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let chill until firm, about 1 hour.
After the dough has chilled, break off pieces and roll the dough into balls about 1 1/4-inches in diameter. Place dough balls on baking sheets lined with parchment paper about 2 inches apart. Gently press into the center of each ball with your thumb. Bake the cookies at 325 F for 10 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and gently press the centers in using the end of a spatula or wooden spoon. Bake cookies for another 10-15 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Let cookies cool completely on the baking sheets before decorating.
To make the icing, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk, one tablespoon at a time. The icing should be smooth and spoonable, but not runny. Add more milk or powdered sugar as needed. Divide icing into three bowls. Stir in a few drops of the red gel food coloring into one of the bowls, a few drops of the yellow gel food coloring into the second bowl, and a few drops of blue gel food coloring into the last bowl. For this recipe, I used colors from the Ann Clark Gel Food Coloring set. Once the cookies have cooled, use a spoon to scoop icing into the centers of each cookie. Let the cookies sit out overnight to allow the icing to firm up.
Enjoy Mickey’s Paint Drop Cookies!
Mickey’s Paint Drop Cookies
These tender shortbread polka dot cookies are topped with smooth colorful icing in vibrant colors!
Ingredients
Shortbread Cookies
- ½ cup unsalted butter, soft
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
- red, blue, and yellow gel food coloring
Instructions
Shortbread Cookies
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In a medium bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla extract.
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Add the flour and salt and beat until combined. Dough will be crumbly.
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Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 1 hour.
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Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Roll dough into balls about 1 ½ inches in diameter. Place balls onto the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Gently press into the center of each ball with your thumb.
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Bake cookies for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and gently press in the centers with the end of a spatula or wooden spoon. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Let cookies cool completely on the baking sheets before frosting.
Icing
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In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and the milk, one tablespoon at a time. The icing should be smooth and spoonable, but not runny. Add more milk or powdered sugar as needed.
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Divide icing into three bowls. Stir in a few drops of the red gel food coloring into one of the bowls, a few drops of the yellow gel food coloring into the second bowl, and a few drops of blue gel food coloring into the third bowl.
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Once the cookies have cooled, use a spoon to scoop icing into the centers of each cookie. Let the cookies sit out overnight to allow the icing to firm up.