Christmas Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

Yield:

14-16 cookies

• Cookie Dough

  • ½ cup butter at room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour plus extra flour for dusting
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • Pinch of salt

• Royal Icing

  • 2 cups icing sugar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 – 2 tablespoons pasteurized egg whites

Preparation

Difficulty:

Easy

Time:

55 Minutes 

 

1. Cookie Dough

   1. To prepare the cookie dough, sift dry ingredients into a medium-sized bowl and set aside
   2. With an electric mixer and paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until mixture is light and fluffy
   3. Add egg and beat until egg is well incorporated. Add vanilla extract
   4. On low speed, gradually add dry ingredients and combine only until mixture forms a uniform dough
   5. Form dough into a ball and flatten into a disk
   6. Wrap disk in plastic film and chill in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.
   7. Preheat oven to 325F
   8. Remove dough from refrigerator and allow to stand at room temperature for about 5 minutes or until malleable to roll
   9. Dust a clean surface with all-purpose flour and roll dough to 1/8-1/4 of an inch
   10. Cut into desired shapes (stars, Christmas trees, snowmen, gingerbread men, etc)
   11. Arrange cookies 2 inches apart onto a parchment-lined baking sheet
   12. Bake cookies for 10 to 15 minutes rotating halfway during baking time
   13. Bake until cookies are a light golden brown around the edges.
   14. Remove cookies from the oven and transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely

2. Royal Icing

   1. To prepare the royal icing , place icing sugar in a medium-sized bowl
   2. With a wire whisk, add lemon juice and enough pasteurized egg white to create a smooth, thick glaze
   3. Divide the glaze into smaller bowls and colour with food colouring
   4. To prepare the cookie dough, sift dry ingredients into a medium-sized bowl and set aside. With an electric mixer and paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until mixture is light and fluffy. Add egg and beat until egg is well incorporated. Add vanilla extract. On low speed, gradually add dry ingredients and combine only until mixture forms a uniform dough. Form dough into a ball and flatten into a disk. Wrap disk in plastic film and chill in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.
   5. Let glaze set and dry at room temperature
   6. Store in air-tight containers