Ingredients
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 3 tablespoons hot water
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup, plus more if needed
- Royal Icing
- Gel-paste food coloring in black
Chef notes
The not-so-tangled web on these cookies is created by frosting them with white royal icing, adding a thin spiral of black frosting, and pulling a skewer from the center of the cookie out to several points on the edge.
You can also find the recipe on MarthaStewart.com.
Preparation
1.In a medium bowl, sift together both flours, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and granulated sugar until smooth. Add milk and whisk to combine. Whisk in melted butter and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture and stir to form a smooth dough. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
2.Preheat oven to 350°F. Using a 2-ounce scoop, drop cookies onto parchment lined sheets, spacing 3 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are light brown, 12-15 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks set over parchment and let cool completely.
3.In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, hot water, and corn syrup. Whisk until smooth. Using a small offset spatula, spread icing on each cookie. Return cookies to rack to drip. Allow cookies to set, about 1 hour; transfer to a serving plate.
4.Meanwhile make royal icing (it should have the consistency of toothpaste; add more powdered sugar if needed). Tint royal icing with gel-paste food coloring until icing is black.
5.Transfer black royal icing to a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip (such as Ateco #2). Pipe a straight line from middle of top row of cookies to bottom. Pipe a second line going across middle of cookies, from left to right. Pipe 6 more lines through center point, spacing evenly apart; lines should form 16 even wedges. Create a web pattern by piping slightly curved, swooping lines to connect spokes, starting from center, letting icing flow between cookies; let set. (Cookies are best eaten the day they are made.)
