Deliciously Pretty Christmas Cookies
Looking for a great gift to give during the holiday season? I know I would love to receive these pretty Christmas Sugar Cookies!
Today my friend Chrissy is sharing a recipe and some tips for making gorgeous decorated sugar cookies!
Cookies By Chrissy
Thanksgiving is over and Christmas season has officially begun. Everyone has their essential Christmas activities and for so many, baking Christmas cookies is at the top of the list.
I’ve been doing them for nearly 18 years with my two daughters and our game has gotten stronger each year. In fact, I have enjoyed stepping up my skills so much that last year I started a small cookie business, Cookies by Chrissy.
I figured I could put my skills to good use as I prepare to have both of my daughters out on their own, which will free up sometime for me.
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I decided to make and promote a Christmas cookie set this year, and my good friend Jennifer Stewart from Take Two Tapas was awesome enough to ask me do so a guest post for her.
Jennifer is, among other things that foodie friend I turn to when I want advice on food and beverage matters or when I just want to get a little nerdy talking all things culinary.
Like a true friend she wanted to help promote Cookies by Chrissy so I came up with some cookies cute enough for Santa on his special night. I used a combination of Christmas and standard cutters. The gingerbread-man cutter reindeer were adorable so I gave those a try.
I added the notebook paper effect and “Dear Santa” message with edible markers that I found at the craft store, you can do this on any shape cookie and add any message you want.
Use any straight edge you have lying around, just space the horizontal blue lines evenly, then add the red vertical line and have those grade school college-ruled notebook paper flashbacks.
I tried to tie everything together with a color scheme and as you can imagine the possibilities are endless. I hope this has inspired you to get creative, get in the kitchen and bake some masterpieces of you own!
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How to Make Sugar Cookies from Scratch
ONE: Preheat the oven to 350F. Cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until mixed. Roughly 2-3 minutes. Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract.
TWO: In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. In batches, mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. The dough will come together and be stiff. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead with you hands if necessary.
THREE: Divide the dough into 2 or three sections, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 1/4 inch thickness, and cut out shapes.
FOUR: Bake at 350f for 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet until firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack. Cool completely and then decorate.
What thickness should the sugar cookies be?
I like mine on the thick side so 1/4 is perfect. I wouldn’t go thinner than 1/8 inch.
When do you ice sugar cookies?
Once they are cooled completely or the icing will melt off and run.
How long do they last?
Once baked, the sugar cookies will last for a few months in the freezer before decorating. Store them at room temp for one week or in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.
My daughters’ contribution to my love for baking and decorating cookies cannot be understated.
Both are talented artistic types that appreciate the clean edges, and cute shapes of no spread sugar cookies and flexibility of different consistencies of piped, colored royal icing.
What do I need to decorate sugar cookies?
Royal icing really lets you get those professional, artistic details. I buy meringue powder and just follow the recipe on the container, watch a couple of YouTube videos on different consistencies and technique that will help a lot, so much talent out there!
With some research and practice I have found the combination that works for me to achieve fairly professional looking cookies, and I have discovered there are endless number of creations to be made.
How To Decorate Like a Pro
Make sure to do a two step process with making a border with a slightly thicker frosting and then filling in the center with a thinner icing that spreads easy.
When adding different colors, make sure each color dries before adding another one.
Thank you Chrissy for sharing your beautiful cookies with us! Cookies are so fun to make and are the perfect treat for any occasion.
If you are looking to make some cookies, check out the recipe and tips. If you are looking to just buy, share, and eat some, check out Cookies by Chrissy on Instagram!
Easy Appetizers
- Fruit Cocktail Cake Balls
- Christmas Crack Chex Mix
- Christmas Snack Platter
- Holiday Pretzel Treats
- Gingerbread Cookies
Christmas Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup softened butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups all purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until mixed. Roughly 2-3 minutes. Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. In batches, mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. The dough will come together and be stiff. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead with you hands if necessary.
- Divide the dough into 2 or three sections, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 1/4 inch thickness, and cut out shapes.
- Bake at 350f for 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet until firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack. Cool completely and then decorate.
Notes
Nutrition
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