There is no need to wait for December to enjoy crisp sugar cookies in fanciful shapes. Capture the spirit of fall by baking maple leaf- or pumpkin-shaped cookies. And when the festive season arrives, have fun with holiday shapes like stars and wreaths. Use the Cinnamon-Sugar Topping for crisp cookies that make perfect teatime treats or finish with Decorator Icing for more elaborate cookies (see Cookie-Decorating Tips, below).

Makes 32 cookies

ACTIVE TIME: 45 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 3 hours (including chilling time)

EASE OF PREPARATION: Moderate

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup low-fat firm silken tofu (see Ingredient note)
1 large egg
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cinnamon-Sugar Topping or Decorator Icing (recipes follow)

1. Whisk all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
2. Puree tofu in a food processor. Add egg, sugar, oil, butter and vanilla; process until smooth, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides. Add the dry ingredients and pulse several times just until dough clumps together.
3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead several times. Divide in half and press each piece into a disk. Dust disks with flour and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper or coat with cooking spray.
5. Working with one piece at a time, on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough slightly less than 1/4-inch thick. Cut out shapes with a cookie cutter. Gather scraps and re-roll. Place cookies about 1/2-inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. If using Cinnamon-Sugar Topping, add it now.
6. Bake cookies, one sheet at a time, until light golden around the edges, 12 to 16 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely.
7. If using Decorator Icing, decorate cookies as desired. Let stand until frosting has set, 30 to 45 minutes.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per cookie (undecorated): 67 calories; 2 g fat (0 g sat, 1 g mono); 6 mg cholesterol; 11 g carbohydrate; 1 g protein; 0 g fiber; 25 mg sodium.
1 Carbohydrate Serving

TIP: Ingredient note: Choose silken-style tofu, available in most supermarkets, rather than regular tofu for this recipe. It has a custard-like texture, which is suitable for pureeing.



Cookie-Decorating Tips
To tint icing: Place small quantities of icing in several small bowls. Add a little food coloring to each one and mix well. You will obtain the most vivid colors if you use paste food colors, which are available at craft stores and cake-decorating shops.


To make a piped design:
If icing seems too stiff, thin with a few drops of water. Spoon icing into a pastry bag fitted with a fine writing tip or a paper piping cone. (To make a paper piping cone, cut a piece of parchment or wax paper into a 15x12x8-inch triangle. Starting at the short corner, wrap the triangle up along the long side to make a tight cone. Fold the tip into the cone to secure it. Spoon icing into cone, close the top of the cone and fold edges over to seal. Cut a small opening in the tip.) To outline a cookie for accent, pipe a continuous line or a series of connected dots around it.

To paint cookies: Thin icing with water until it is the consistency of heavy cream. Using a clean watercolor paintbrush, coat the tops of the cookies with icing.


To make swirls: Paint cookies with one icing color. While it is still wet, use a paper piping cone
or plastic condiment bottle to drop a contrasting color onto the cookies. Draw the tip of a toothpick
through both colors, creating a swirled effect.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

RELATED RECIPES: Cinnamon-Sugar Topping | Decorator Icing | Patti's Holiday Chocolate Delights | Poppy Seed Thumbprints | Chocolate Bark with Pistachios & Dried Cherries | Drunken Prunes | Maple-Walnut Pralines