As the holiday season approaches, people often look for fun and creative ways to celebrate. Baking and decorating cookies for friends and family is a popular tradition that can bring people together and create lasting memories. This article will provide recipes and instructions for three festive holiday cookie projects: snowflakes, dreidels, and ornaments. These projects are perfect for people of all ages and skill levels, and they will surely add a touch of cheer to any holiday gathering.
Here are our top 3 tried and tested recipes!
GINGERBREAD PEOPLE HOLIDAY COOKIE PROJECTS: WHITE SNOWFLAKES, DREIDEL TRIOS AND ORNAMENTS
Whether you're decorating a tree, a room or a table during the holidays, these long-lasting cookies bring sparkle, color and the feeling of warmth that no store-bought ornament can provide into your house. Making them is an ideal Saturday project to usher in the holidays. String the finished cookies on stout wire and run them along your banisters, mantels, or coil them up into a wreath or centerpiece. Light candles to catch the twinkle in the sugar crystals. One batch of dough will give you about two dozen cookies; if you plan to double the recipe, make two separate batches. You can add color to the cookies by coloring the icing or by using white icing, then dusting the icing with colored sugar before it sets. After it sets, knock off the excess. The latter gives a prettier, more sparkly effect. Strangely, both cold milk and hot whiskey toddies go perfectly with spicy gingerbread. I heard of a guy who will make you any shaped cookie cutter you want out of copper and you can order them online.
Provided by Food Network
Categories dessert
Time 55m
Yield 24 servings
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- Make the Gingerbread: In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and mix. Add the eggs and mix. Add the molasses and vanilla and mix.
- Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves together. Working in batches and mixing after each addition until just combined, add the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture. Shape the dough into a thick disk, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease 1 or 2 cookie sheets. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out 1/4-inch thick and cut out with desired cookie cutters.
- To make the Royal Icing: In a mixer, blend the confectioners' sugar, milk, and egg white together. Add more sugar to get a pipe-able consistency.
- To make Gingerbread Men and Women: Use gingerbread man and woman cookie cutters and cut out the cookies, re-rolling the scraps as needed. Decorate them with raisins and white chocolate chips for eyes, nose, mouth, and buttons down the front. Bake until firm, 8 to 10 minutes, and let cool on the pan.
- Meanwhile, add some festive colors to your icing with food coloring and lay out colored sugars in small glass bowls with spoons. Using a pastry bag fitted with the smallest plain tip, pipe a few colorful borders or white borders and coat with sanding sugar. When set, add more lines of icing in white.
- To make snowflakes: Use a snowflake-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the cookies, re-rolling the scraps as needed. If you plan to hang the cookies, use a toothpick to make holes in the cookies about 1/8-inch wide, keeping in mind that the holes will shrink as the cookies bake and puff up a bit. Bake until firm, 8 to 10 minutes, and let cool on the pan. Using only white icing and a pastry bag fitted with the smallest plain tip, pipe thin lines from the center of the cookie out to the points, like spokes of a wheel. Connect the spokes with thin lines between them, making a spiderweb effect to give it the look of a snowflake. Let the icing harden before threading the cookies onto wire, string, or yarn for hanging.
- To make ornaments: Use any holiday-themed cookie cutter to cut out the cookies, re-rolling the scraps as needed. If you plan to hang the cookies, use a toothpick to make holes in the cookies about 1/8-inch wide, keeping in mind that the holes will shrink as the cookies bake and puff up a bit. Bake until firm, 8 to 10 minutes, and let cool on the pan. Meanwhile, color some of your icing in festive colors with food coloring, or use colored sugars. Using a pastry bag fitted with the smallest plain tip, pipe a few colorful borders and decorations on the cookies. When set, add more lines of icing in white. Let the icing harden before threading the cookies onto wire, string, or yarn for hanging.
- To make dreidel trios: Use a dreidel cookie cutter and cut out 3 cookies. Lay 1 on a greased sheet pan. Fanning out at an angle, with the handles overlapping at the top, lay 2 more dreidels next to the first one (it will look like a paper-doll effect). The handle is now 3 layers thick; press on it gently to thin it slightly and make it larger. Repeat with the remaining dough, re-rolling the scraps as needed.
- If you plan to hang the cookies, use a toothpick to make a hole in the cookies about 1/8-inch wide, keeping in mind that the hole will shrink as the cookies bake and puff up a bit. Bake until firm, 8 to 10 minutes, and let cool on the pan. Color some of your icing blue with food coloring, or use blue colored sugar and white icing together. Using a pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip, pipe Hebrew letters or stars of David on the cookies' faces. Let the icing harden before threading the cookies onto wire, string, or yarn for hanging.
SNOWFLAKE COOKIE ORNAMENTS
Your cookie trays will twinkle with these festive snowflake cookies. -Taste of Home Test Kitchen
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Desserts
Time 1h30m
Yield about 3 dozen.
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extracts. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. , Divide dough into fourths. Cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours or until easy to handle., Preheat oven to 375°. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one portion to 1/8-in. thickness. (Refrigerate other portions until ready to use.) Using a variety of sizes of floured snowflake cookie cutters, cut out snowflakes. , Carefully place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Using small decorating cutters, cut out desired shapes to create designs in some of the snowflakes. Use a toothpick to help remove the cutouts. With a plastic straw, poke a hole in the top of each small cookie. , Bake medium and large snowflakes 6-1/2-7 minutes and small snowflakes 6 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Repeat with remaining dough., For royal icing, in a large bowl, combine confectioners' sugar and meringue powder. Add warm water; beat on low speed 1 minute. Beat on high 4-5 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Tint half blue. Leave remaining icing white; cover and set aside., With blue icing and a round tip, outline half of the cookies; fill in centers with blue icing and let dry completely. With white icing and a round tip, outline each blue-colored cookie and create snowflake designs. Let dry completely., On the remaining cookies, repeat process using white icing on white frosted cookies. Thread a ribbon through the hole in each small snowflake and through the cutout in each medium and large snowflake.
Nutrition Facts :
SNOWFLAKE ORNAMENT COOKIES
Bring some of winter's wonder indoors with shaped butter cookies that get their sparkle from edible glitter. These cookie ornaments are great favors for your trim-a-tree party guests. -Taste of Home Test Kitchen
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Desserts
Time 1h30m
Yield about 3 dozen.
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extracts. In another bowl, whisk flour and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. , Divide dough into three portions. Shape each into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm enough to roll., Preheat oven to 375°. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-in. snowflake-shaped cookie cutter. Place 1-in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Using a plastic straw, make a hole about 1/2 in. from the top of each cookie. Using small decorating cutters, cut out desired shapes to create designs in snowflakes. , Bake 5-6 minutes or until set. Use straw to reopen holes in cookies. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat with remaining portions, using 4- and 5-in. cutters. Bake 4-in. cookies, 6-7 minutes; bake 5-in. cookies, 8-10 minutes., For glaze, in a small bowl, beat confectioners' sugar, corn syrup, vanilla and enough water to reach desired consistency. Brush over snowflakes; sprinkle with glitter. Let stand at least 5 minutes or until set. , Thread ribbon through the holes.
Nutrition Facts :
Tips:
- To achieve the best results, ensure your oven is preheated to the correct temperature before baking. This will help ensure your cookies bake evenly. - Don't overmix your cookie dough, as this can result in a tough texture. Mix the dough just until the ingredients are combined, then stop. - Chill your cookie dough before baking. This will help prevent the cookies from spreading too much in the oven and will result in a more defined shape. - Use high-quality ingredients for the best flavor. This means using real butter, pure vanilla extract, and high-quality chocolate chips. - Don't be afraid to experiment with different flavors and add-ins. You can add chopped nuts, dried fruit, candy pieces, or spices to your cookie dough to create unique and delicious variations.Conclusion:
With careful preparation, attention to detail, and a touch of creativity, you can create beautiful and delicious holiday cookies that will impress your friends and family. These three recipes offer a variety of options to choose from, whether you prefer classic snowflake cookies, festive dreidel trios, or elegant chocolate ornaments. With a little effort and some holiday cheer, you can turn your kitchen into a winter wonderland and enjoy the sweet taste of the season. So grab your ingredients, preheat your oven, and let's get baking!
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