Hey All!
I found the most amazing Recipe for Holiday Sugar Cookies on Marthastewart.com today and I just had to share it with you! The Recipe was called Sugar Cookie Cutouts and it made these adorable Christmas Trees and Santa's.
Here is the link to the recipe: Sugar Cookie Cutouts - Martha Stewart Recipes but I also copied and pasted it below. There were two separate links on how to make and decorate the cookies. Here is the link to how to decorate the cookies:Decorated Santa Cookies - Martha Stewart Recipes.
I also copied the instructions on how to decorate them below. These cookies would make great cookies to leave Santa on Christmas eve or to hand out at your Holiday Parties or as Stocking Stuffers for your kids!
How to make the cookies:
Makes about 2 dozen 4-inch cookies
- 4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.
- Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Divide dough into quarters; flatten each quarter into a disk. Wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds. Let one disk of dough stand at room temperature just until soft enough to roll, about 10 minutes. Roll out dough between two pieces of plastic wrap to 1/4-inch thickness. Remove top layer of plastic wrap. Cut out cookies with a 4-to-5-inch cookie cutter. Transfer cookie dough on plastic wrap to a baking sheet. Transfer baking sheet to freezer, and freeze until very firm, about 15 minutes. Remove baking sheet from freezer, and transfer shapes to baking sheets lined with nonstick baking mats. Roll out scraps, and repeat. Repeat with remaining disk of dough.
- Bake, switching positions of sheets and rotating halfway through, until edges turn golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.
How to Decorate the cookies:
Ingredients:
Makes one cookie.
- Royal Icing
- Flesh-tone gel-paste food coloring
- 4-to-5-inch Santa-shaped Sugar Cookie Cutouts
- 2 purple or green jumbo rainbow nonpareils
- Red gel-paste food coloring
- Small gumdrops (halved), dragees, mini marshmallows (halved), or snowflake candies
- Black gel-paste food coloring
- White gel-paste food coloring
- Coarse sanding sugar
- 1 small red-hot cinnamon candy
- White sprinkles
- Mix together some of the royal icing with the flesh-tone food coloring until desired shade is reached. Transfer to a small squirt bottle. To create face and hands on the cookie, outline the area with flesh-tone icing (see template). Draw several zigzags across entire surface of the outlined area. If necessary, use a toothpick to spread evenly. Using tweezers, add nonpareils to create eyes. Let dry.
- Mix together some of the royal icing with the red food coloring until desired shade is reached. Transfer to a small squirt bottle. To create hat, jacket, and pants on the cookie, outline the area with red icing (see template). Draw several zigzags across entire surface of the outlined area. If necessary, use a toothpick to spread evenly. Using tweezers, add gumdrops to create buttons on jacket.
- Mix together some of the royal icing with the black food coloring until desired shade is reached. Transfer to a small squirt bottle. To create boots on the cookie, outline the area with black icing (see template). Draw several zigzags across entire surface of the outlined area. If necessary, use a toothpick to spread evenly. Let dry.
- Mix together some of the royal icing with the white food coloring until desired shade is reached. Transfer to a small squirt bottle. To create trim on hat, jacket, and pants, outline the area with white icing (see template). Draw several zigzags across entire surface of the outlined area. If necessary, use a toothpick to spread evenly. Sprinkle trim with sanding sugar. Using tweezers, add a mini marshmallow to top of hat to create a tassel. Let dry.
- To create beard on cookie, outline the area with white icing (see template). Draw several zigzags across entire surface of the outlined area. If necessary, use a toothpick to spread evenly. Using tweezers, add red hot candy to create a nose. Sprinkle beard with white sprinkles. Let dry.
I'm going to attempt to do this recipe and pray it comes out OK. I'm no Martha, but I will do my best. Hopefully you will enjoy this recipe none the less. Again this is not my recipe, I do not take any credit for it. It is a recipe I found at MarthaStewart.com that I thought was great and should share with you my readers.
So enjoy this recipe and Thanks so much for following my blog! And I hope you're enjoying my Holiday Gift Guide just as much as I am.
Happy Holidays everyone!
