Silver Bells

I made silver bells — bell-shaped sugar cookies with silver dragees and a glossy royal icing — for an essential-workers thank-you tin run. Eight tins. The Sonic kitchen. The Dollar General team. Mr. Garcia’s auto-body crew. Two of the Tulsa County jail administration secretaries who Mrs. Patel said had been kind to her in the year of Cody’s case. The pandemic year has used everybody up. The cookies were the small thanks I could give.

The recipe is below.

Silver Bells

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 12 minutes | Total Time: 32 minutes (plus chilling) | Servings: About 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus more for rolling
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)
• Silver or white sparkling sugar, for finishing

Instructions

1. Cream butter and sugar. Beat softened butter and powdered sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
2. Add extracts. Mix in vanilla and almond extracts until combined.
3. Add dry ingredients. With the mixer on low, gradually add flour and salt, mixing just until the dough comes together. Fold in chopped walnuts if using. The dough will be soft.
4. Chill the dough. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until firm enough to handle.
5. Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. Shape the cookies. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place 1 1/2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Gently press the top of each ball slightly flat, or leave round for a dome shape. Sprinkle with sparkling sugar.
7. Bake. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the bottoms are just barely golden and the tops look set but not browned. Do not overbake — they should stay pale.
8. Cool and finish. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. While still slightly warm, dust with additional powdered sugar if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 78 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Carbs: 8g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 14mg