Christmas Surprise Sugar Cookies Recipes

CHRISTMAS SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg. Beat in the sour cream, honey and vanilla. Combine the dry ingredients; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and chill for 2 hours or until easy to handle. , On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with floured 3-in. cookie cutters. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. , Bake at 325° for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. , In a microwave-safe bowl, melt white coating; stir until smooth. Stir in food coloring; drizzle over cookies.

CHRISTMAS SURPRISE SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. In medium bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, egg and flour until dough forms. Divide dough into thirds. Tint one-third red and one-third green with food colors; leave one-third plain. Keep dough covered tightly until ready to use.
• On floured surface, roll each third of dough until 1/8 inch thick. For round cookies, cut with 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter; for square cookies, cut into 1 1/2-inch squares using sharp knife. (Dip cutter or knife in flour for easier cutting.)
• On ungreased cookie sheet, place half the cookies 1 inch apart. Place 1 candy piece on center of each cookie; top with another cookie. Gently press edges together to seal, using tines of fork. To decorate before baking, sprinkle cookies with colored sprinkles, sugars or decors as desired.
• Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are light brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Decorate with gels as desired.

CHRISTMAS SURPRISE COOKIES

Steps:

• Combine butter, peanut butter, and sugars using electric mixer until light and fluffy.
• Slowly add eggs and vanilla until combined.
• Mix in flour, salt, and baking soda.
• Cover and chill dough for 2-3 hours.
• When dough is chilled, take 1 tablespoon of dough and flatten.
• Place miniature candy bar in center of dough and then form dough into ball around candy bar.
• Place on cookie sheet and bake at 325°F for 10 to 12 minutes.
• Let cookies cool on baking rack or on wax paper.
• When cooled, drizzle melted milk chocolate over each cookie.
• Store in a cool place.

CHRISTMAS CUTOUT SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a bowl, stir together flour and baking powder. In another bowl, beat butter with sugar until fluffy and light. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture, a third at a time to make a stiff dough. Divide dough into 4 pieces. Roll out a portion of cookie dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out shapes using cookie cutters. Place on lightly greased or nonstick cookie sheets. Bake until lightly golden, about 10 minute, rotating baking sheet halfway through cooking time. Cool completely on pans about 5 minutes, transfer to cooling racks and cool completely before decorating.
• In a small bowl, mix sugar and water to form a thick, smooth icing. Stir in food coloring to reach desired shade. Drop icing onto cookies using a small teaspoon and smooth with the back of the spoon. Make additional bowls for additional colors.
• Additional multi-colored sprinkles can be added on top of icing before it dries for more decorative cookies, if desired.

SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Whisk the egg and vanilla in a small bowl and set aside.
• With a hand held mixer in a large bowl, cream the butter until fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, add both sugars, and continue beating until light, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl again, if needed, then add the egg mixture, beating for about 1 minute. Sift the salt with the flour. Reduce the mixer to a low speed and then add the flour mixture, mixing just until blended.
• Turn the dough out of the bowl. Divide the dough in half and place each half between 2 pieces of lightly floured parchment or waxed paper. Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough into a disk about 1/4-inch thick. Slide the dough/parchment sheet onto a flat cookie sheet, or on the back of a rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.
• Evenly space the racks in the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Place 1 disk of the cookie dough on a clean work surface and peel off the top sheet of paper. Cut cookies with a 1 1/2-inch round or a decorative shaped cookie cutter directly on the parchment. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to a parchment-lined or non-stick baking sheet, spacing them about 1-inch apart. Repeat with other sheet of dough. Any excess dough can be re-rolled, refrigerated, and cut.
• Bake until the edges of the cookies are a light golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool.
• For decorating: Whisk the confectioners' sugar with just enough milk to make a thick icing. Transfer icing to a small plastic bag. Press the icing into a corner of the bag and snip off the corner with scissors to make a small opening. Gently press the icing onto the cookie to make a simple pattern. Decorate as desired. Set aside for about 1 hour to let the icing harden.
• Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
• Walnut Orange Variation: Add 3/4 teaspoon grated zest of orange with the sugar, and 2/3 cup finely chopped walnuts with the flour.
• Pecan-Cinnamon Variation: Mix 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon with the flour, and add 2/3 cup finely chopped pecans with the flour. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies before baking with a mixture of 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon.
• Almond Variation: Reduce the vanilla extract to 1 teaspoon and add 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract. Add 3/4 cup chopped toasted sliced almonds to the dough with the flour. If desired, for decoration, brush the tops of the unbaked cookies with some egg white and press a few un-toasted almond slices onto the top of each cookie prior to baking.

SUREFIRE SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Slice and bake the sugar cookies according to package directions. Cool on wire racks., In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips and shortening. Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes or until melted; stir until smooth. Dip each cookie halfway in melted chocolate. Place on waxed paper; immediately sprinkle with colored sprinkles, nuts or coconut. Let stand until chocolate is completely set.

SUGAR AND SPICE COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix the flour, the baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves together in a bowl.
• Cream the butter and brown sugar together with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth; beat the egg and vanilla extract into the butter mixture. Add the flour mixture in small amount to the butter mixture, beating each addition until blended. Form the dough into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease baking sheets.
• Roll the dough out on a floured work surface with a rolling pin to about 1/8-inch thickness. Cut with 2-inch cookie cutters. Arrange the cut cookies onto the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the edges begin to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

OLD FASHIONED SUGAR COOKIES II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
• In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and mace. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or rub between your fingers. When butter pieces are no larger than pea size, stir in the egg, vanilla and heavy cream. Blend thoroughly. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/8 inch in thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 1/2 inches apart onto cookie sheets.
• Bake for 5 to 8 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges begin to brown. Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks. Cool completely before frosting.
• To make the frosting: In a medium bowl, beat the confectioners' sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1 1/2 tablespoons of cream and salt until smooth and creamy. Spread on top of cooled cookies. Let the frosting dry before storing or serving.

SURPRISE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, milk, and vanilla, and beat until well combined. Add reserved flour mixture; mix on low speed until combined.
• Using a tablespoon or 1 3/4-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto ungreased baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies begin to spread and become firm, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Remove baking sheets from oven, and place a marshmallow, cut-side down, in the center of each cookie, pressing down slightly. Return to oven, and continue baking until marshmallows begin to melt, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
• Spread about 1 tablespoon of frosting over each marshmallow, starting in the center and continuing outward until marshmallow is covered.

CLASSIC CHRISTMAS SUGAR COOKIE CUTOUTS

Steps:

• In large bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, the butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, almond extract and egg until well blended. Stir in flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours.
• Heat oven to 375°F. Divide dough in half. On lightly floured surface, roll each half of dough 3/16 inch thick. Cut into assorted shapes with cookie cutters, or cut around patterns traced from storybook illustrations. If cookies are to be hung as decorations, make a hole in each 1/4 inch from top with end of plastic straw. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until light brown. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• In medium bowl, beat all frosting ingredients until smooth and spreadable. Tint with food color if desired. Frost and decorate cookies as desired with frosting and colored sugars.

CHRISTMAS SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Combine flour and baking soda. Beat butter and granulated sugar in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Blend in dry pudding mix, egg and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture, mixing well after each addition. Transfer dough to lightly floured surface; mix with your hands until ingredients are well blended and come together to form smooth ball.
• Divide dough into four pieces; roll each into ball. Flatten each into disk. Roll out dough, one disk at a time, on lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness; cut into Christmas shapes with 2-inch cookie cutter, rerolling scraps as necessary.
• Place, 2 inches apart, on parchment-covered baking sheets.
• Bake 10 to 12 min. or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 1 min. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
• Mix powdered sugar, meringue powder and water until blended. Spoon into separate bowls to match desired number of colored frostings. Tint frosting in each bowl with desired food coloring(s). Spoon frosting from one bowl into piping bag fitted with small piping tip, such as a number 2, 3, or 4. Repeat with remaining frostings to fill additional piping bags fitted with piping tips.
• Use piping bags to pipe line of frosting around edge of each cookie, then gently squeeze additional frosting back and forth over top of cookie to cover with frosting. Decorate with sprinkles as desired. Let stand until frosting is firm.