Am I the only person on the planet who hasn’t started my Christmas shopping yet? I know, Christmas is right around the corner but I just don’t feel like going to those crazy stores yet. Maybe I’ll just do it all on-line this year.
How about you? Are you done with your shopping yet? Do you enjoy going to the malls or do you do most of your Christmas shopping on-line?
the one thing I enjoy doing during the holidays is baking. Obviously! In fact, I only wish the holiday season were longer so that I can get more baking in.
Every year I make a list of the things I want to bake during the holiday season, but there is always something I just can’t quite squeeze in.
The one thing I always squeeze in is Holiday Cut-Out Cookies. There is simply no way I could not make beautiful frosted cut-out cookies. It just wouldn’t be Christmas without them. Oh, and my kids would never let me not make cut-out cookies.
It is to the point where more and more, I barely even have to participate in the process. My kids have no problem making the dough. And after making it, the dough goes into the refrigerator for a while to firm up so we can roll it out.
And that is normally where I come into the picture. It is still a bit too challenging for my kids to roll out the dough themselves. So I will roll it out and then try and cut the cookies out myself.
Of course, the kids like to help pick out the cutters they want to use and cut the cookies out themselves but I’ll tell you what: They will often try and cut out the dough right in the center of the dough. So if I let them do that all day then I am literally going to be rolling out dough for hours.
I try and show them to fit in all the cutters like a Tetris game so they don’t waste space so we aren’t rolling dough for hours but it doesn’t often work.
The thing my kids excel at is the frosting and decorating the cookies. I can give them a plate full of cut out cookies, a couple cans of store bought frosting and a few jars of various sprinkles and they will be busy for hours meticulously frosting their cookies. It is so fun to watch them as they carefully choose their sprinkles to mix and match!
And wearing their Flirty Aprons. is just another element of the fun. We have had these cute aprons now for a few weeks and my kids honestly wouldn’t think of starting to bake without them on.
Remember how we were talking of Christmas gifts before? Wouldn’t theses cute Flirty Aprons. make perfect last minute gifts!! Go ahead and click this link here
. and check them out.
There are obviously a number of different ways that you can decorate cut-out cookies. The easiest, of course is to grab a store bought can and sprinkles and just decorate them like my kids did.
If you really want to go all out, you can pipe and flood with royal icing like I did to the cookies featured above in the first two pictures of this post. If you are interested in decorating with Royal Icing I recommend this book called Cookie Craft
I learned how to decorate with royal icing from this book and the icing recipe I use comes from this book as well. Or you can try these links here to learn some tips:
Spoon technique: Spoonful of Flavor
Design Idea: Somewhat Simple
General Tips: Sweetopia
Outlining and Filling: Sweet SugarBelle
The “Bag Trick”: Karen’s Cookies
Honestly, if you have never tried decorating cookies with royal icing before, these tutorials and hints should be more than sufficient to help you get started! 🙂
Whether you use frosting straight out of a can or go all out and pipe and flood with royal icing, I hope you have a chance to make a batch of Holiday Cut Out Cookies this year. To me, it simply wouldn’t be Christmas without them! 🙂
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Ingredients
- 1 c. butter (2 sticks), softened
- 1 c. sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 t. vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 c. flour
- 1/2 t. baking powder
- 1/2 t. salt
- 2 c. powdered sugar
- 4 t. meringue powder
- 3 TBLS warm water
- 2 c. powdered sugar
- 4 t. meringue powder
- 6 TBLS warm water
- food dye
- sprinkles and decorations
- canned frosting (optional)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl cream butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla together.
- Sift flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl and blend into sugar mixture in a couples of additions, mixing just until blended.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
- On a well floured surface, roll out dough to about 1/4 inch thick and using cookie cutters, cut out the cookies and place on a cookie sheet fitted with a silpat or parchment paper.
- Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until the edges begin to brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to sit on the cookie sheet for at least a minute before removing them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- When cookies are cooled, make the royal icing.
- First, blend the ingredients for the piping frosting in a medium mixing bowl for several minutes until the mixture is the consistency of toothpaste, adding additional water or powdered sugar until the desired consistency is reached. Divide into small bowls and mix in food coloring to desired tint. Cover the bowls immediately.
- Blend all the ingredients for the flooding icing for several minutes in a large mixing bowl until the consistency resembles heavy cream. Divide into bowls and all food coloring and mix until desired consistency is reached.
- Using pastry bags and squeeze bottles, decorate cookies as desired.
Royal Icing recipe: Cookie Craft
Try these other Holiday Cookie Recipes:
Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies
How fun Renee! I love the look of these cutout cookies. I typically have to stay away from cut-out cookies because I’m such a horrible decorator!
Kristi @ Inspiration Kitchen recently posted…Mexican Wedding Cookies {Pecan Cookie Balls} #fbcookieswap
These are so cute! I bet kids love making them.
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy recently posted…Comment on 2 Ingredients Salsa Chicken by Dannii
Your cookies look wonderful, Renee! I haven’t used royal icing in ages…I’m kind of a lazy cookie decorator. Can I borrow your kids to help? haha
marcie recently posted…Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Snowball Cookies
I love cut out cookies and you decorated yours so pretty, Renee! Love that your kids help out so much, they did a great job and must have had so much fun decorating and eating them 🙂
these are so adorable I love these! cut-out cookies are the just one of the funnest things to do around the holiday season 😉
Michele @ Two Raspberries recently posted…starting the new year right!
Just impossibly sweet!!! I love the cookies, and love the picture of the little ones decorating! That is such a joyful memory in the making.
CakeSpy recently posted…Cornmeal Pecan Cookies Recipe
Christmas cookies are never complete without the cut-out kind. These cookies look delicious, Renee! And your kids did a wonderful job of frosting them. Such a fun and delicious cookie!
Gayle @ Pumpkin ‘N Spice recently posted…Easy Peanut Butter Fudge
so pretty & festive! 🙂
Manali @ CookWithManali recently posted…Royal Icing
I just finished my shopping! Although I did most of it online this year 🙂
These came out adorable! Christmas is the one time of the year that I love making cut-out cookies. Excited to make a batch soon!
Ashley recently posted…A Very Merry Christmas Giveaway
These cookies look beautiful and I’m sure extremely delicious! Your kids did a wonderful job! Royal icing makes these cookies look more festive! Will be making them next week. About holiday shopping- I don’t like going to the mall, especially around Christmas! Just prefer to shop online!
Mira recently posted…Cheesy Horn Rolls With Greek Yogurt And Feta
We just barely got started on Christmas shopping last Saturday. I’m doing most of it online because I hate going to the stores! So no, you definitely aren’t alone in getting a late start!
Your cookies look so beautiful! I’d almost be afraid to eat them because they are so pretty! Almost.
Emily recently posted…Real life in a Real Food kitchen
You are probably now officially the only person who hasn’t started their Christmas shopping because I started today…and I had to rush ship everything because we leave on the 21st 🙁
These cookies will make it all better! I LOVE the sugar on top of the royal icing! Gorgeous! Pinned!
Lindsey @ American Heritage Cooking recently posted…Grandmas Molasses Sugar Cookies {Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap}
These look perfect! I love all the design ideas and tips, too. It’s definitely time-consuming, but such a great tradition!
Mir recently posted…Smoky Salted Almond Fudge
These are seriously some gorgeous cut-outs, Renee! I just love how you decorated them—so pretty and professional! I think I need to get my hands on that book! 🙂
Sarah@WholeandHeavenlyOven recently posted…Brownie Sugar Cookies
I am seriously sooo behind on my shopping so I totally get it! But these cookies are so sensational that you get a pass girlfriend.
Jocelyn (Grandbaby cakes) recently posted…Berry Cake and BHG Ultimate Baking Challenge
These holiday cookies look super amazing! Love the festive colours, so cool! 😀
Jess @ whatjessicabakednext recently posted…Terry’s Chocolate Orange Cookies
So much fun!!! Cute, cute, cute!!!
Amanda recently posted…spice cupcakes with eggnog buttercream
There goes my favorite girl….I bet those cookies taste even more delish because she took part in making them!!
Zan recently posted…Our Christmas Home
Zan, how are you?? I hope things are well for you and your family. Elizabeth is growing WAY too fast!! Have a wonderful Christmas! 🙂