Spring, for many, is a symbol of new beginnings. When the first green emerges from the ground and the first bud opens, people the world over celebrate. The earth comes to life once more. The symbolic meaning of the butterfly is similar across most cultures, regardless of time, and is most commonly associated with the soul. Cultural myth and lore honor the butterfly as a symbol of transformation because of its impressive metamorphosis–from caterpillar to chrysalis and ultimately, the butterfly. Butterflies also symbolize spring, a celebratory time of year, and embody the beauty of symmetry, pattern, color and shape.
These colorful and vibrant, yet delicate creatures can imply freedom, endurance, inspiration, openness, change, joy, rebirth, patience, transformation and happiness. As Spring approaches, we can see trees and flowers starting to bud, birds beginning to sing, and bumblebees and butterflies returning to the landscape.
I have always loved butterflies… their beautiful colors, their presence in the outdoor landscape. The magnificent yet short life of butterflies serves to remind us that life is short and to make the most of each day we have.
When it comes to spring baking, butterfly cookies always seem to work their way into my kitchen each year. This is my creation for this season!
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COOKIES
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- 85 gm (3/8 cup) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 1 small egg, room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups + 3 Tbsp flour
Ingredients
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- In a large bowl, cream together butter & icing sugar. Add egg & vanilla extract & mix well.
- In a separate bowl, sift together flour & baking powder. Add to the wet mixture a little at a time until well incorporated. Wait approximately 30 minutes before working with the dough as it will firm up slightly.
- Roll the dough between baking paper & put it into the fridge for a few hours to help it from spreading. When dough is a bit firmer, take it out of the fridge & cut into butterfly shapes.
- Place the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet & return to fridge again for another 1-2 hours, this will also help prevent spreading.
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Bake cookies for approximately 10 - 12 minutes or until lightly browned on bottoms.
- When cookies are completely cooled, personalize them with your favorite icing, colors & design.
- Allow cookies to cool overnight or at least four hours if you have to decorate right away.
- If you can, it is a good idea to wait until the cookies are a day old before decorating them to reduce the chance of oil from the cookie leaching into the icing & causing icing spots or butter bleeds.