How to Make Christmas Cookies - Cooking Tips

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. butter, softened
• 1/2 c. shortening
• 1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla

• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 2 1/2 c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cream of tartar
  

• Place the butter and shortening in a mixing bowl and cream together for approximately 2 minutes.

• Add the powdered sugar and beat for 2 additional minutes.

• Beat the egg slightly and add to the butter and sugar mixture. Also add the vanilla and almond extract.

• Beat these ingredients in with the butter and sugar mixture until it is light and fluffy.

• In a separate bowl, mix the remaining dry ingredients. Stir the ingredients until well distributed.

• Add to the fluffy batter and mix on low with electric mixer or by hand until well blended.

• Once the sugar cookie dough is well blended, divide it in half. Form each half into a flattened disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until firm, before beginning the rolling process. The dough can be refrigerated overnight if desired.

• Remove one of the dough halves from the refrigerator. If the dough was refrigerated for over an hour, allow it to sit for about 10 minutes at room temperature before beginning to roll it out. If it is too cold it will crack when trying to roll it out.
  
  
• Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Leave the other half in the refrigerator while working with the first half.

• Lightly flour the rolling pin and begin rolling at the center of the disk. Roll outward but do not roll off the edge of the dough.

• Rotate your rolling angle about 45° with each roll. Always begin in the middle and roll outward. Once you have rolled the top half, lift and turn the dough a half turn to prevent sticking and to roll out evenly.

• If the dough is a little sticky, lightly flour the work surface or rolling pin, depending on where it is sticking. Do not over flour the dough, use as little as possible because the additional flour will have an affect on the taste of the cookies.

• Continue this process until the dough is getting too thin to pick up without tearing. Continue to roll until the dough is 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. The thinner the dough is rolled the crisper the cookie will be. Do not roll too thin or the cookie will break too easily when decorating. If they are too thick they will be soft.

• Prepare the cookie sheet by lining with parchment paper or lightly greasing it. Be sure the cookie sheet will fit in the oven properly before placing cookies on it. See Baking Note below.

• Before beginning to cut out the shapes, dip the cutting edge of the cookie cutters into some flour. This will help to prevent the cutters from sticking to the dough.
  
  
• Cut the shapes into the dough by applying even pressure on the floured cookie cutter, pressing all the way through the dough.

• Continue to cut the shapes in the dough with the cutters, placing them as close as possible to each other to maximize the use of the dough.

• Pull the scrap pieces away from around the cookies and place them in a bag. Refrigerate until ready to reroll. The scrap dough can be rerolled for cutting more shapes but the quality of the cookies will be slightly less than the first cutouts.

• Use a thin metal spatula to carefully lift the cutout cookie off the work surface. Try to slide the spatula as far under the cookie as possible to help maintain its shape when transferring to the cookie sheet. Place the cookies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or one that has been lightly greased.

• Leave about 1 inch of space between each to allow for spreading of the cookies while baking.

Rolling Out the Cookies between Parchment Paper

This method of rolling out the cookies works very well. The dough is easy to roll out between the two sheets and you do not have to use extra flour while rolling. After the cookies are rolled and cutout, they release from the parchment paper easier than they do from a floured work surface.

• Place one of the halves of dough on a piece of parchment paper. Wax paper can also be used instead of parchment paper. Place the other half in the refrigerator while working with the first half.

Note: This sugar cookie recipe allows you to roll out the dough without refrigerating first when using parchment paper. If you are unable to roll, cut and bake the cookies immediately after mixing, place them in the refrigerator so they do not dry out. If the dough was refrigerated for over an hour, allow it to sit for about 10 minutes at room temperature before beginning to roll it out. If it is too cold it will crack when trying to roll it out.

• Place another piece of parchment paper or wax paper over the dough.

• Roll the dough out in the same manner as rolling on a floured surface as shown above.

• Rotating the dough while rolling can be done by picking up both pieces of parchment with the dough in between and turning.

• Continue to roll until the dough is 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. The thinner the dough is rolled the crisper the cookie will be. Do not roll too thin or the cookie will break too easily when decorating. If they are too thick they will be soft. Remove the top parchment paper when done rolling.

• Prepare the cookie sheet by lining with parchment paper or lightly greasing it. Be sure the cookie sheet will fit in the oven properly before placing cookies on it. See Baking Note below.
  

• Remove the top sheet of parchment paper from the rolled out dough. Lightly flour the cookie dough.

• Replace the top sheet of parchment, place one hand under the bottom sheet and one hand on the top sheet. Carefully flip the dough over between the sheets of parchment paper.

• Remove the top sheet of parchment paper. The floured surface is now on the bottom. This will allow the cut shapes to be lifted off the parchment more easily.

• Before beginning to cut out the shapes, dip the cutting edged of the cookie cutter into some flour. This will help to prevent the cutters from sticking to the dough.

• Cut the shapes into the dough by applying even pressure on the floured cookie cutter, pressing all the way through the dough. Several cookie cutter shapes can be used on the dough.

• Continue to cut the shapes in the dough with the cutters, placing them as close as possible to each other to maximize the use of the dough.

• Pull the scrap pieces away from around the cookies. The scrap dough can be rerolled for cutting more shapes. Using parchment paper allows you to use very little flour when rolling and cutting so the quality of the cookies made from the scraps should be almost as good as the first batch. Place the scrap pieces into a bag and place in the refrigerator until ready to reroll.

• Use a thin metal spatula to carefully lift the cutout cookie off the work surface. Place the cookies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or one that has been lightly greased.

• Leave about 1 inch of space between each to allow for spreading of the cookies while baking.

• If cookies are going to be sprinkled with sugar or have a design painted on them, it should be done before baking. See Decorating before Baking below for more information.

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  
  
• When the cookie sheet is full, place it in the preheated oven on an oven rack positioned as close to the middle of the oven as possible.

• Cook for 7 to 8 minutes. The cookies are done when they start to brown around the edges. Because all ovens are different, it is a good idea to check for doneness a couple of minutes before the end of the baking time stated in the recipe.

• See Baking Note below if using two cookie sheets. Be sure each sheet has the same amount of cookies placed on it.
• Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to sit on the sheet for 1 or 2 minutes to firm up a little before removing them.

• Using a metal spatula, remove the cookies and place them on a wire cooling rack. The wire rack allows the cookies to cool without trapping moisture as they cool. This helps maintain a crisp texture. Also, allow room in between cookies to provide for proper air circulation.

• Once the cookies have completely cooled, they are ready to be decorated.

Baking Note: Make sure the cookie sheet is not too large for the oven and that there is room around all edges to allow for proper air circulation to provide for even baking. If baking the cookies using two cookie sheets in the oven at the same time, place two racks as close to the middle position as possible. Place one cookie sheet on each rack. Halfway through the cooking time, exchange positions of the cookie sheets and turn each sheet around so the front of the cookie sheets are in the back for the last half of the cooking time.

If it is necessary to bake another batch of cookies, be sure to allow the cookies sheets to cool before placing the next batch on them. If the cookie sheets are warm it will cause the dough to begin to spread, resulting in misshaped cookies.

• Cut out cookie shapes and place them on a cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or lightly greased.
  
  

• The cookies can then be decorated using several methods, such as:
  
  
  • Sprinkled with sanding sugar, also referred to as coarse sugar, decorating sugar, and sparkling sugar.
  • Sprinkled with various types of dragees (small metal balls), non-pareils, or sprinkles.
  • Painted using an egg yolk and food coloring mixture.

Sugar or Non-Pareils

• Mix 1 slightly beaten egg white with 1 tablespoon of water. Lightly brush the tops of the cookies with this mixture. The egg and water mixture will help the sugar and non-pareils stick to the cookies.

• Sprinkle the sugar or non-pareils on the cookies. They can be lightly sprinkled or more heavily for a darker coloring. More than one color of sugar or non-pareils can be used together for a more interesting affect.

• To paint a design on the cookies before they are baked, mix 1 egg yolk with 1/2 teaspoon of water.

• Divide this mixture into several small bowls and add a small drop of edible food coloring to each bowl, using a different color for each.

• Using a small paint brush, paint the desired design on the cookie. Use one or more colors on each cookie as desired.

• After decorating the cookies as desired they can be placed in the preheated oven and baked as indicated above.

Decorating Cookies after Baking

The baked cookies can be decorated using frosting or icing. Both will produce a different end result. Frosting will have a creamy texture and can be piped to create shapes. It will remain soft and if made with butter, it will have a rich flavor. One thing to keep in mind is that the decorated cookies will be harder to store because the frosting remains soft.

Icing is a more fluid substance and a little harder to work with. It must be piped on to the cookies because of its consistency. Trying to spread it on with a knife would cause it to run over the edges. After piping the icing on, the icing is thinned and spread on the cookies inside the piping to create a nice smooth surface. The icing will harden, allowing the cookies to be stored more easily. Royal Icing and Powdered Sugar Icing are two icings that are used for decorating sugar cookies. The icing shown below is Powdered Sugar Icing.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup shortening
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. almond extract

• 4 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• 3 tbsp. milk
• Food coloring

• Add shortening, vanilla and almond extract in a mixing bowl and beat for 30 seconds on medium speed.

• Add half of the powdered sugar and stir into shortening mixture until slightly moistened. After stirring, beat with electric mixer until well blended.

• Add 2 tablespoons of milk to the blended mixture and beat until thoroughly mixed.

• Add the remaining powdered sugar and stir slightly to moisten. Beat with the mixer until well blended.

• Mix in half of the remaining milk and blend. If frosting is not at a spreadable consistency, add the remaining milk. If the frosting is still not at the desired consistency, add more milk, adding a teaspoon at a time and blending with mixer after each addition. Be sure the frosting is not too stiff so that it will spread easily.

• This recipe will produce approximately 3 cups of frosting. Divide the frosting into as many different colors you would like to create. Use food coloring to create the desired colors. Be cautious when adding food coloring because one drop can make a big difference in the color.

• Applied the frosting by using a spreading spatula or knife to spread it over the top surface of the cookie.
  
  
• When you are working with the frosting, be sure the frosting not being used at the time is covered with plastic to prevent it from drying out.

• The frosting can also be applied by piping it on the cookie. One method is to use a pastry bag. Fill it with frosting and attached the desired tip on the end of the bag. Apply the piping as desired. For more information on using a pastry bag, see information below.
  
  
• Use the pastry bag to apply piping or decorative designs. Different designs can be accomplished by using different tips on the pastry bag.

• If you do not have a pastry bag, a plastic bag can be used. Fill the bag approximately 1/3 full of frosting and cut the tip off one corner. Squeeze the frosting out the clipped corner to apply the piping. See the information below on how to prepare the plastic bag for piping.

• Once the frosting has been applied, other decorative toppings can be added to further decorate the cookies. Other toppings that can be used are sugars, non-pariels, sprinkles, dragees, nuts, and candy.

• There is no limit on how to decorate the cookies. The cookies can be decorated with a simple coat of frosting or decorated with a detailed design of the cookie shape. Decorate to suit your own imagination and desire.

Decorating with Icing

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp. water
• 1 tbsp. butter, softened

• 1 tbsp. light corn syrup
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• Food coloring

• Add all the ingredients into a small mixing bowl. Stir until powdered sugar is moistened.

• Beat mixture with an electric mixer until smooth. If icing is too thick, add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of water and mix again. Continue to add a small amount of water until the icing is at the desired consistency.
  
  
• It may be desirable to leave the icing a little thicker to begin with to do the piping on the cookies first. If you are going to do flooding, a little more water can be added to thin the icing at that time.

Piping Using a Pastry Bag

• The icing is applied by piping it on the cookie around the outer edges and filling in by flooding.
  
  
• To use a pastry bag for piping, begin assembling by placing the coupler base into the bag and fitting it into the narrow end. Push through the end until approximately half of the threads are showing.

• Select the tip desired for piping or if using the pastry bag for decorating, find the decorative tip desired. Place the tip in the coupler screw ring.

• Attach the tip to the coupler base by screwing the coupler screw ring on the coupler base.

• If decorating with different colors, divide the icing up according to the number of desired colors. Add small drops of food coloring to color the icing. Be cautious when adding food coloring because one drop can make a big difference in the color obtained.

• To fill the bag, turn down the top 1/3 to 1/2 of the bag. Spoon the icing into the bag but do not fill more than half full. If the bag is too full, the icing will ooze out the top when squeezing it out of the pastry bag.
  
  
• When you are working with the frosting, be sure the frosting not being used at the time is covered with plastic to prevent it from drying out.

• Twist the top of the bag to close and begin piping the icing on the cookies. Pipe the icing around the outer edge of the areas you are going to be flood coating with a thinner icing.
  
  
• If using decorative tips, squeeze the icing out to form desired design.

Piping Using a Plastic Bag

• If you do not have a pastry bag, a small plastic bag can be used. Fill the bag about 1/3 full, making sure to not overfill with icing because the icing will ooze out the top of the bag when squeezing the icing on the cookies. Spoon frosting into the corner of the bag where it will be squeezed out.

• Cut the tip off one of the corners, being careful not to cut too much off otherwise the piping will get too thick.

• Squeeze the plastic bag to get the icing to flow out the tip and begin outlining the area on the cookie where you want the icing flood coated with thinner icing. Allow the piping to dry slightly before flooding with icing.

• Thin the icing down for flooding by stirring in 1/2 teaspoon or less of water. Continue to add water 1/2 teaspoon of water at a time until the icing is the proper consistency. It should still be thick but it should run off a spoon in a steady stream.

• Spoon the flooding icing onto the cookie inside the piping. Use a spreading spatula or knife to spread the icing to cover the cookie evenly.
  
  
• After applying the icing, allow it to dry for several hours before adding other decorative toppings.

• Sugar or sprinkles can be added while the icing is still tacky but if it has dried too much they will not stick.

• Once the icing has dried, other decorative toppings can be added to decorate the iced cookies. Toppings, such as sugars, non-pariels, sprinkles, dragees, nuts, and candy can be used.

• To decorate after the icing has dried, using toppings such as sugar and sprinkles, apply a light coat of warmed light corn syrup. Use a small paintbrush to apply a light coating of warmed light corn syrup on the cookies in the area that you want the topping to stick.

• Sprinkle the coated area with the desired topping.

• After applying the topping, lift the cookie up and shake off the excess.

• Other toppings, such as dragees, nuts, and candy can be added by applying a little frosting to the topping and sticking it on the cookie.

• There is no limit on how to decorate the cookies. The cookies can be decorated with a simple coat of frosting or decorated with a detailed design of the cookie shape. Decorate to suit your own imagination and desire.
  
  
• For proper storage of your Christmas cookies, see Storing Cookies below.

All Types of Cookies:

• Always allow any type of cookie to cool completely before placing in a storage container. If they are placed in a container while they are still warm they can form moisture, which is then trapped by the cookies, causing them to become too soft.
• Never store different types of cookies together in the same container. The cookies can take on flavor and moisture from each other, causing the original taste and texture of the cookies to change.
• Cookies containing cream cheese or that have cream cheese in the frosting, should be refrigerated.

Soft Cookies:

• Do not store soft cookies and crispy cookies in the same container. The crispy cookies will absorb moisture from the soft cookies and cause them to dry out. Store soft cookies in an airtight container. The cookies can be layered for storage as long as layering will not affect their appearance. To layer, place a layer of cookies on the bottom of the container and then cover them with a piece of wax paper. Place another layer of cookies on top of the wax paper. Place wax paper between each layer being stored but generally it is best not to store more than 3 layers on top of each other. This will help prevent damage to bottom layers.
• If soft cookies begin to dry out, place a slice of bread or a slice of apple in the container. Be sure to place the bread or apple slice on a piece of wax paper and not directly on the cookies.

Crispy Cookies:

• Do not store crispy cookies and soft cookies in the same container. The crispy cookies will absorb moisture from the soft cookies, causing them to loose their crispiness. Store crispy cookies in containers with loose fitting covers to allow for some air circulation.
• If crispy cookies become soft, place them in an oven preheated to 300°F for 3 or 4 minutes and then cool properly on a cooling rack. They should regain their crispy texture.

Frosted Cookies:

• If the cookies have been frosted with frosting that does not harden, they should be stored in an airtight container in a single layer.

• If they are frosted with icing that hardens, they can be layered in the same manner as the soft cookies.

• Do not store more than 3 layers of cookies per container. This will help prevent damage to the frosted cookies. Place the cover on the container and seal tightly.

All Cookies:

• Always allow any type of cookie to cool completely before freezing.
• Never freeze different types of cookies together in the same container. The cookies can take on flavor and moisture from each other, causing the original taste and texture of the cookies to change.
• Mark the container with contents and date.

Unfrosted Cookies:

• Unfrosted cookies can be frozen for up to 6 months.
• Layer cookies in an airtight container with a sheet of wax paper, plastic wrap or foil between each layer.
• If placing the cookies in a sealable freezer bag to freeze, layer with wax paper, plastic wrap or foil between each and be sure to remove as much air from the bag as possible before sealing.
• Fragile cookies should be placed in a rigid container for freezing to protect against damage.
• Unfrosted frozen cookies can be thawed at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Frosted Cookies:

• If the cookies have been frosted, place them on a cookie sheet in a single layer and freeze.

• Once the cookies are completely frozen, place in an airtight container. The frozen cookies can be layered, placing wax paper, plastic wrap or foil in between each layer.

• Place additional layers on top of the first layer of frozen cookies but do not store more than 3 layers of cookies per container. This will help prevent damage to the cookies.

• Place the cover on the container and seal tightly. Return to the freezer as soon as possible.

• Frosted cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Thawing Frosted Cookies: Thaw frosted cookies on cooling racks in a single layer. Thawing on cooling racks will prevent them from taking on moisture and ruining the frosting while thawing.