Cookie Cutter Sugar Cookies (Recipe with Pictures)
An essential part of Christmas, these cookies are exceptional because unlike other
cookie-cutter cookies, they don't taste like cardboard. In fact,
I think they are rather good. They are sticky and messy, though, so be
prepared to get your hands and your counters dirty...
This is Jim's mother's recipe. Actually, she just listed me the
ingredients. The rest is fairly straightforward. It makes a little
more than four cookie sheets of cookies.
Ingredients
- 3.5 cups flour
- 1.5 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup (two sticks) butter
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon milk
- Extra flour
The Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
It's helpful to have a food processor. Put in all the ingredients (except
the extra flour), and process with the cutting blade until it becomes a
ball of dough. This may take a little shaking and stirring at first, but
once the ingredients get a little mixed, it's short work. The ball will
be sticky. Remove to a bowl.
If you don't have a food processor, you can do it by hand -- mix the butter
and sugar first until the butter is easy to work with. Then do the rest
and mix with a spoon.
This recipe just about maxes out my food processor. Note, cut the butter into
slices to make it easier.
What it looks like when it's done -- a sticky mass.
The sticky mass, removed to a bowl.
It's best to have two, or even better, three cookie sheets on hand.
Grease them.
Now the messy part. Dust your rolling surface liberally with flour.
I can't stress this enough -- don't skimp on the extra flour.
Otherwise, the rolling and cutting process will frustrate you to no
end. And you will not notice the extra flour in the end.
Get some flour on your hands.
Grab about half of the dough. Notice how sticky it is, and wonder to
yourself how it's going to get rolled without sticking to everything.
Now, flatten it with your hand on the
flour. Turn it over (adding some more flour), and flatten some more.
Dust a little more flour on top.
Then roll it with a rolling pin until it's flat.
These cookies are best if they are not super-thin. About an eighth
of an inch will do.
Greasing the cookie sheet.
Flattening the dough with your hands.
Rolling the dough. There's so much flour, it looks kind of
like a dough-and-flour chorizo, no? It will not affect the cookies.
Time to cut out the cookies. When all goes well, you can cut them,
slide the cookie-cutter back and forth a bit, and the cookie will
come up easily inside the cookie-cutter. When all doesn't go well,
you can use a knife to try to pry it off your surface. When it really
doesn't go well, the knife doesn't work, and you have to toss the
stuck cookie back into the bowl, and try again. Use more flour this
time.
Give these room on the cookie sheet because they will expand.
Now, decorate, and bake for 12 minutes at 350 degrees. Don't let
them get brown, unless you like them that way. Let them cool
a bit on the cookie sheet before removing to paper towels.
Store in an airtight container.
Cutting the dough.
These are coming out easily (although some didn't). Note how the
cookie inside the chili pepper cookie-cutter is still inside the cutter.
Decorating as a family activity. Some of those are too close together,
though, and will be hard to separate after baking.
Katie is quite patient about her decorating.
Decorated cookies -- again, there are going to be some separating
issues, for example, with the multicolored candy cane and the
cat's head.
The helpers enjoy the final product!