Courtesy Sara Brink
There’s nothing sweeter than hosting an Oscars viewing party at your home — literally.
If you’re knee-deep in planning an over-the-top fête for this Sunday’s awards show or just want to snack on something festive to commemorate the occasion, look no further than these cookies, inspired by the coveted trophy.
PEOPLE enlisted the help of baker extraordinaire Sara Brink to celebrate the occasion, who whipped up a batch exclusively for us — and provided an in-depth look at how she created the cookies, from baking to decorating.
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To create the Oscar statue ©A.M.P.A.S.® shape, use a cookie cutter, or create a template of your own. Find a basic outline of the statue, trace it onto cardboard, and use that cut-out to hand-cut your dough.
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter or margarine
2 eggs, well beaten
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 lb. confectioner’s sugar
3 tbsp. meringue powder
¼ – ½ cup warm water
½ tsp. vanilla extract
Black and gold food coloring gel
Gold sugar sprinkles
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Combine butter, sugar, beaten eggs, and vanilla in large mixing bowl. Cream until fluffy. Resift flour with baking powder and combine with other ingredients until well mixed and dough forms. Chill dough in refrigerator. Tear off sections of dough and roll out on lightly floured workspace to ¼-inch thick. Cut into Oscar shapes. Place on greased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.
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2. Make the icing: Combine confectioner’s sugar, meringue powder, and vanilla in large bowl. Add water gradually while beating with electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until very glossy, stiff peaks form. If needed, spritz water on the icing to achieve the correct consistency. Royal icing hardens upon exposure to air, so store your icing in airtight containers while not in use.
Courtesy Sara Brink
3. Divide portions of your royal icing and add gel icing color. You’ll need black and gold to make the Oscar statues. (Note: the icing colors pictured were created using Wilton brand gel icing. To achieve a gold color, mix golden yellow with a touch of brown.)
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4. Fill piping bags with your black and gold icings. Using a #3 tip, outline the base of the statue with black royal icing. Outline the top of the statue with gold. Allow outlines to set, about 30 minutes.
Courtesy Sara Brink
5. To fill your cookies with royal icing, you’ll need to create icing that has a “flood” consistency. Take your icing and add a ¼ teaspoon of water at a time, mixing well in-between. You’ve reached a good consistency when the icing runs off the back of a spoon and dissolves into the icing in the container within 5-10 seconds. Wait 5 minutes to let any air bubbles surface. Give the icing a final mix and transfer it to a squirt bottle. Fill the designated areas of your cookies.
Use a toothpick to nudge the flooded icing around so that it reaches all edges and covers all crevices. Pop any air bubbles with a toothpick. Allow icing to dry completely. Upon setting, the icing will have a hard surface.
Courtesy Sara Brink
6. Add embellishment by outlining the top of the statues with gold royal icing and dipping in gold sugar sprinkles. Let cookies dry for about an hour.
All that’s left to do is serve and let the compliments roll in through the night.
–Grace Gavilanes
