Wow Partygoers With Award-Worthy Oscars Cookies

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper or Silpats.

2. Roll out cookie dough to a scant 1/4-inch thick. Cut out 1 cookie using the statue cookie cutter. Carefully transfer it to the half-sheet pan, and bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until the edges are just beginning to turn golden-brown, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to let cool completely.

3. Once cool, cut out 1 cookie using the round cookie cutter. Use a sharp edge to cut a section out of the middle of the round cookie using the baked statue cookie as a template. (Make the cut-out slightly larger than the base of the statue cookie, as the cookie will expand slightly while baking and you want the cookies to fit together snugly.) Carefully transfer it to the half-sheet pan, and bake as before.

4. Meanwhile, cut out an equal amount of cookies using the statue and round cookie cutters. Once the round cookie has cooled completely, use it as a template for cutting out the centers of all of the round cookies. Transfer all the cookies to the half-sheet pans, and bake as before. Once baked, check that the cut-outs in the round cookies fit snugly in the bases of the statue cookies. The base cookies can be trimmed to fit as necessary while still fresh from the oven and warm. Use the tip of a paring knife to make a small indentation on each statue cookie where the base is flush with the statue so that you'll know how far down on each statue to pipe the golden icing.

5. While the cookies cool, combine 16 ounces of the powdered sugar and 2 egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low speed using the paddle attachment until completely blended and the icing holds a ribbon-like trail on the surface of the mixture for 5 seconds when you raise the paddle. If it's too thick, then add water 1 teaspoon at a time; if it's too thin, then add powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches the desired thickness. Tint icing with 2 large drops of yellow gel food coloring, and 1 tiny drop of orange food coloring for a golden-yellow hue. Transfer about 1/3 of the icing to a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip. Cover the remaining icing tightly so that it won't dry out and harden.

6. Pipe a border of icing around all the statue cookies, using the indentation as a guide on the bottom. While the border hardens on the cookies, thin out the remaining icing with a little water until it's a spreadable consistency. Working 2 cookies at a time, use a small offset spatula to spread the thinned-out icing within the icing border. Sprinkle with gold sanding sugar. Repeat with all the statue cookies.

7. While the icing on the statues hardens, combine 8 ounces of powdered sugar with 1 egg white in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low speed using the paddle attachment until completely blended and the icing holds a ribbon-like trail on the surface of the mixture for 5 seconds when you raise the paddle. If it's too thick, then add water 1 teaspoon at a time; if it's too thin, then add powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches the desired thickness. Tint icing with a few drops of black gel food coloring. Transfer about 1/3 of the icing to a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip. Cover the remaining icing tightly so that it won't dry out and harden.

8. Pipe a border of icing around all of the round base cookies; allow to harden completely. To secure the statues to their bases, pipe icing inside the cutout of the round cookies and nestle the statue into the cutout, using the black icing as glue. Once the icing has hardened completely and the statues are firmly glued into the cookie, thin out the remaining icing with a little water until it's a spreadable consistency. Use a small offset spatula to very carefully spread the thinned-out icing over the base.

9. Allow the icing to dry and harden completely before storing or stacking the cookies.