dig a pony

I'm not a big fan of horse racing.  Maybe it's because I'm not a big gambler or maybe it's because I'm crazy allergic to horses.  I've tried to get into it and even went to the Preakness while I was in college, but for me it was always more about the event and the party than it was the race itself.  But when the Kentucky Derby rolls around, I get equine fever as bad as the folks south of the Mason Dixon.  It's the festiveness of horseracing that I really enjoy. Who wouldn't love an event that combines ponies, bourbon and wild hats?  Count me in!  Being the celebratory, theme-loving gal that I am, I'm all for this fanciful Southern tradition and consider myself an honorary belle on this beautiful May day!

So before I head to the track (and by track, I mean the bar around the corner) let me share with you my delicious derby cookies.  They're really yummy and easy sugar cookies decorated with royal icing.  I'm not very artistic.  Crafty, yes but artistic, not so much.  For that, please excuse the lack of creativity in the decoration of these cookies.  At least I tried to shape them.  Unfortunately my horse cookie cutter looks more like a wolf and my horseshoe is just a capital U.  But after enough mint juleps, who cares?!

yes, i wore my hat while baking.

glittery horseshoes

horses of many colors

• simple sugar cookies
• ingredients
• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• directions
• 1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Cover and chill dough for at least one hour (preferable overnight but you might want to roll it into a big ball first.)
• 2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Roll out dough on a floured surface to about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with a cookie cutter.  Place cookies 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• 3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes. Cool completely before decorating.

royal icing

ingredients

1 egg white

1tsp lemon juice

1 1/2 c sifted confectioner's sugar

directions

1. Beat egg and lemon juice on a medium speed with a hand mixer for about 1 minute.  Add the sugar 1/2 c at a time while continuing to mix for another minute or two.  Add food coloring and brush onto cookies with a pastry brush.

And with that, I'm off to the races!  Somebody get this girl a mint julep...

yes, those are horses on my frock!