Christmas Cut Out Cookie Recipe - For Jessica

Making Christmas cut out cookies is easy if the recipe followed makes soft, melt-in-your-mouth morsels. This recipe is for Jessica, who is making rolled out Christmas cookies on Sunday. These are easy to mix, easy to roll out, and easy to eat.

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter (softened in microwave)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 egg
2 1/2 cups Gold Medal flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

In a large bowl, mix powdered sugar and butter on low speed (or with a spoon) till light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla, almond extract and egg. Stir in flour and baking soda. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Try not to eat too much dough.

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Divide the dough in half. Roll out each half to 1/4 inch thick on lightly floured surface (I use my granite counter top). Cut into desired shapes. If cookies will not be frosted, sprinkle with colored sugar. Place cut out shapes on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 7-8 minutes or until edges are light brown. Immediately remove cookies from cookie sheet to waxed paper or cooling rack. Makes about 4 dozen cookies, if you don't eat any of the cookie dough or warm cookies. Good luck with that as the dough is delectable.

To make frosting, soften 1 stick of butter, mix in enough powdered sugar to make a really thick paste, then add a tiny bit of milk and mix well. Add a drop of vanilla or almond extract. Make enough frosting to divide into 4 small bowls, and then add food coloring to each mixture. Apply to cookies and allow to dry.

I double the recipe each time I make these cookies, and after eating dough and warm cookies, end up with about six dozen cookies of various shapes. Your feeling of accomplishment will last several hours, and will return each time you serve your tasty cut out Christmas cookies. Happy holidays!

Photo attribution: somewhatfortyplus

Christmas Cookies Done

Every year there is a special request for Mom's cut out Christmas cookies. And every year they are patiently mixed, cooled, cut out, frosted and decorated. Whew! The fun is over for another 365 days, the kitchen is now a flour-free zone, and the cookies are hidden -- until Tuesday.

Cut out Christmas cookies evoke youth and the excitement of the season. They remind grown up kids of bygone days, drinking hot chocolate after sledding, making a snowman on a day too cold to attend school and moving one's arms and legs to create a snow Angel. All were normal childhood activities and all were a part of this somewhat fortyplus household. Making cut-out Christmas cookies was part of the deal.

Setting out a tray of cut out cookies always brings smiles. If you can't make yours, visit the local bakery and pick up a few to place on a silver tray. Suddenly a childhood Christmas will come to mind. Smile and enjoy the sweet memory.

Photo attribution: Somewhatfrank

Christmas Cookie Memories

Christmas wouldn't be the same without cut out Christmas cookies. After two days of flour hanging in the air, flour on the cupboard knobs, flour on the doors, and flour on the floor, the cookies have been chilled, rolled out, cut out and frosted. All remnants of cookie cutting will be gone by 3:00 today when the cleaning ladies depart and the house sparkles, ready for guests.

Cut out cookies are time consuming, yet they remind three adult children of Christmas's past, when their goal wasn't to close the big deal before Friday, but to make the perfect snow Angel. In those simpler times little fingers sampled raw cookie dough, and colored frosting had prints left behind. The broken cut outs had to be eaten lest they spoil, or worse yet, be consumed by a sibling. Making cut out cookies was a process that involved the entire brood and has left life long memories.

Blogger Boy was delighted at the news: the cut out cookies are now frosted. Law School Boy has never been one for sweets but will savor a cookie with his morning coffee, and Jessica has the ability to eat only one cookie and walk away. Five dozen Christmas trees, stars, hearts, bells and clovers are awaiting the lips of those dearest. While the cookies will last far too long, eventually ending up in the trash, the value of the cookies is measured in memories of Christmas's past which will return each time the tray of cookies is sampled.