Black Eyed Susan Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add eggs, one at a time, incorporating one before adding the other.

On low speed, add ½ of the dry ingredients and blend well.

Add the buttermilk and blend well.

Add the remaining dry ingredients and blend just until the batter is combined.

Using a 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) ice cream scooper, scoop batter onto 2 parchment lined sheet pans, spacing each approximately 2 inches apart. You can also make larger cookies by using a larger ice cream scooper.

Bake cookies approximately 14- 15 minutes or until puffy and pale brown. Larger cookies may need almost a minute more depending on how hot your oven is.

Allow to cool completely on sheet pans.

In the bowl of an electric mixer using the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium speed until fluffy.

Add vanilla and three tablespoons of cream or milk to butter and blend well.

Add a few drops of yellow food coloring and blend thoroughly. If color is too light, add a drop or two more. Blend well.

On low speed add confectioners’ sugar and blend until a thick, pipeable frosting forms.

If frosting is too thick to pipe, add a little more cream or milk.

Place baked cookies onto two clean wax paper lined sheet pans.

Fill a pastry bag, fitted with a large leaf pastry tip (#112) with some frosting.

On the rounded side of each cookie, pipe long flower petals starting from the center of each cookie out to the edge all around to create a circle of petals. Leave a space in the middle.

Allow frosting to firm up a bit.

Store in one layer in one or two airtight containers.