Dessert

Christmas Cookies is for Dessert.

Christmas Cookies takes 40 minutes to prepare.

Christmas Cookies takes 8 minutes to cook.

Christmas Cookies makes 24 servings.

The ingredients for Christmas Cookies are:

Ingredients:

--Cookies--

*3 cups all purpose flour

*1 cup sugar

*1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

*1/2 teaspoon salt

*2 sticks butter, softened (1 cup)

*1 egg, beaten slightly

*3 tablespoons cream (can substitute half and half)

*1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*1 teaspoon almond extract

*flour and sugar for rolling

--Icing--

*1/3 cup butter, softened

*3 3/4 cups confectioner's sugar (1 pound)

*1/4 cup milk minus 1 teaspoon

*1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

*1/2 teaspoon almond extract

*I also used the leftover Cream Cheese Icing from my Pomegranate Christmas Cupcakes here.

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT NEEDED:

*cookie cutters

*Silpat mat or parchment paper

*rolling pin

Here is how you make Christmas Cookies:

1.) Whisk together dry ingredients--flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add butter and combine until mixture resembles a coarse meal (I like to do this with my hands by simply grabbing fistfuls of the mixture and squeezing the butter into it. You can also "cut in" the butter).2.) Add egg, cream, and extracts and mix to combine thoroughly. Chill for several hours before rolling out.3.) Preheat oven to 375F. On a clean surface, sprinkle heavily with flour and sugar. Elise suggests a 2/1 ratio of flour and sugar (1 cup flour plus 1/2 cup sugar) and dust rolling pin heavily so dough won't stick. Break off a piece of dough (about the size of an orange or grapefruit) and work the dough back and forth until rolled out to 1/4-inch thick. Using cookie cutters, crowd the surface of the dough and press out as many cookies as possible.4.) Remove cutters and peel away dough from shapes.5.) Lay cookies across a Silpat mat (pictured here) or wax paper. Leave about 1 1/2 inches between the cookies.6.) Bake for 8 minutes at 375F or until dough is cooked and corners begin to golden. Elise suggests 5-8 minutes at 400F, but I like to drop the temperature a bit and add an extra minute or two to prevent from burning. Cool completely.7.) Meanwhile, prepare icing: In a standing mixer, combine all five ingredients until smooth and even. I like to use the paddle attachment and set the speed to a high medium. You'll know the icing is ready to use when the texture is smooth and free from fat molecules. Transfer icing to piping bags for frosting the cookies.**Note: you can also take a moment to divide up the icing and color it using standard food coloring (something Linda used to do when we needed reds and greens for our cookies. For this recipe, I just used the white icing and colored with the help of sprinkles, but at this point, the possibilities are pretty endless!).8.) Ice and sprinkle cookies as you like and enjoy! Makes 4-5 dozen cookies based on cutter size.Serving Size: makes 4 - 5 dozen cookiesNumber of Servings: 24Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user HELANAB86.

The nutritional information for Christmas Cookies is:

• Servings Per Recipe: 24
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 252.3

• Total Fat: 10.4 g
• Cholesterol: 35.5 mg
• Sodium: 60.3 mg
• Total Carbs: 38.4 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.5 g
• Protein: 2.0 g