Christmas just isn't Christmas with delicious holiday cookies. There are so many varieties of Christmas cookies to make. In this article, you will learn to make basic sugar cookies and decorate them.
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cream together the butter and shortening in a mixing bowl for about two minutes.
3. Add powdered sugar and beat for two more minutes.
4. Add the egg, vanilla and almond extract. Mix until it is light and fluffy.
5. In another bowl, mix the flour and baking soda. Add it to the butter batter and mix it with a blender on low until blended.
6. Divide the mixture in half. Form each half into a flat round shape and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
7. After 30 minutes, lightly flour a rolling pin and roll out each half of the cookie dough. Roll the dough until it is about ¼ inch thick.
8. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. Using a cookie cutter, cut the shapes out of the cookie dough and place them on the cookie sheet.
9. For decorating the cookies, you can use a variety of options. You can use frosting and then decorate them with colored sprinkles. You can mix an egg with 1 tablespoon of water and then brush them on the cookies. Then you can add sugar or non-pareils. The egg mixture will make the sugar or pareils stick to the dough. You can paint a design on the cookies by mixing an egg yolk with ½ teaspoon of water and some food coloring, then using a small brush to brush the mixture on the cookies.
10. Place the cookies on a cookie sheet, on a rack in the middle of the oven. Cook for seven to eight minutes or until the edges start to turn a golden brown. Remove the cookies and let them sit for about two minutes. Place them on a wire rack to cool.
11. If you are storing the cookies for later use, they can be stored for up to a week in an airtight container.
Tags: cookie sheet, about minutes, cookie dough, decorate them, each half