Christmas Cookies
Buttery cut-out cookies with a soft almond flavor and smooth icing for that bakery-perfect finish.
Equipment
- Cookie Cutter
- Rolling Pin
- Sheet Pans
- Piping Bags
Ingredients
Cookies
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- 1 egg, large
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
Frosting
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp light corn syrup
- 2 tbsp milk
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp almond extract
- gel food coloring
Instructions
Cookie Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Use an electric mixer to beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl until light and creamy. Add the egg, almond extract. and, vanilla extract. Beat until smooth.
- Add flour into the mixture and mix until a combined sticky dough forms.
- Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to ¼-inch thick. Use a 2-inch cookie cutter (any shape) to cut out cookies and transfer to prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 12–15 minutes, rotating sheets halfway. Cookies are done when edges are just golden. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
Icing Instructions:
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar, corn syrup, almond extract, and 1½ tablespoons milk. Stir until smooth and glossy. Add more milk a few drops at a time to reach the desired consistency:For outlining, the icing should be thick but pipeable.For flooding, thin the icing slightly until it settles smoothly within an outline in about 10 seconds.
- Divide into bowls and add food coloring, if desired. Transfer to piping bags or squeeze bottles for decorating.
- Pipe a border around each cooled cookie with the thicker outline icing. Let the outline set for 5–10 minutes, then fill with flood icing.