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


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!