Pink Ribbon Cookies

October: Breast Cancer Awareness Month

This post for pink ribbon cookies is dedicated to Islander’s cousin, Clara A. (1959-2013), who lost her fight against breast cancer late last year. A brilliant child and family attorney who practiced law in the Philippines and internationally, Clara endured chemotherapy and survived 17 years after first being diagnosed with breast cancer. We last saw her in 2007 during a family trip to the Philippines when her cancer was in remission. She looked happy and healthy—and that is the way we want to remember cousin Clara. May she rest in peace.

For a number of years now, we have been donating dollars and desserts (such as pink ribbon cookies) for bake sales of different charities that help fund research to find cures for cancer. Sometimes the best we can do is pray—pray for those who have cancer, for their families, for the health caregivers and for the researchers.

Although one month is dedicated to Breast Cancer Awareness, it should be year-round. Take care of yourselves and get mammograms regularly. Participate and support the events and donate what you can to the cancer societies. Bake a batch of pink ribbon cookies. And please pray for a cure!!!

Recipe

(Adapted from Kitchen Lane) 

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour (all purpose white)
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• pink fondant
• powdered sugar for dusting the surface
• clear piping gel or water 

Directions

In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, mix together the butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in the egg, milk and vanilla. Gradually the flour mixture into the other ingredients and blend well to form a dough.

Divide dough in thirds and roll into a ball. Then flatten each ball into a disc and place between sheets of waxed or parchment paper. Roll out to about ¼-inch thick (we used ¼-inch thick acrylic sticks as guides). Stack them on a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm (about 30-45 minutes). They may also be frozen for 15-20 minutes. Take one stack of flattened dough out of the refrigerator or freezer. Peel away both front and back to loosen, leaving the dough on one sheet of the waxed or parchment paper. Cut out the pink ribbon shapes.

Place on foil-lined greased cookie pan about 1 ½ – 2 inches apart. Refrigerate the cookie pan. Re-roll scraps of dough and cut more shapes, refrigerating if the dough gets too soft. The dough needs to be cold and firm in order to retain its shape. Bake the cookies in a preheated oven at 375 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until the sides are very lightly browned. Remove from the oven when done and let sit on the pan for about five minutes. Transfer each cookie on a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container until ready to decorate.

Using the same pink ribbon-shaped cookie cutter, cut out shapes on pink fondant (roll out to 1/8-inch thickness on a clean surface that has been dusted with a bit of powdered sugar to prevent from sticking). Use a fondant impression mat, if adding decorative texture to the fondant is desired.

Brush water or piping gel on the cookie. Position the fondant on top of the pink ribbon cookie and smooth out the edges with warm fingers. Repeat for all cookies. Set aside to dry, making sure all cookies are dry before stacking. Store in an airtight container until ready to serve.

Notes

• For other health awareness months, change the fondant color to match the awareness color. 
• For other breast cancer awareness recipes, see pink macarons (Chambord/raspberry liqueur or strawberry) and St. Agatha’s pastries.
• Our sympathies go out to all our blog readers who have lost a loved one to breast cancer.