Wandas Cut Out Christmas Cookies Recipes

CHRISTMAS CUT-OUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
• In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the anise extract. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir into the creamed mixture alternately with the milk. Mix until just blended. Over-mixing will result in tough cookies.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies at least one inch apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven for about 12 to 15 minutes or until firm. Cookie will not turn a golden brown. If they do, they're over-done. Turn out onto rack to cool. Wait until cool if frosting.

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.

WANDA'S CUT OUT CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter until fluffy.
• Add oil, vanilla and eggs.
• Mix well.
• Stir in dry ingredients; mix well.
• Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375.
• Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thickness.
• Cut out dough with cookie cutters and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake 5-8 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Cool on wire racks.
• Decorate with frosting or sprinkles of your choice.

SANTA'S CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, use a whisk to combine the flour, salt and baking powder. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until completely combined.
• Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture slowly, about 1/2 cup at a time until finished, mixing until just combined. Form the dough into 2 disks and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until slightly firm, about 1 hour, or up to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, or spray with cooking spray.
• Roll the dough out onto a floured work surface and use cookie cutters to cut out shapes, then transfer to the prepared baking sheets, leaving about a 2-inch space between each cookie.
• Chill the cut-out cookies on the baking sheets for about 15 minutes before baking for a more precise shape. Bake until just starting to become crisp and golden around the edges, about 15 minutes. Remove the cookies to a rack and let cool completely.
• Use food coloring to tint Royal Icing into different colors. To decorate, cover the cookies with the Royal Icing, then sprinkle on decorations while the icing is still wet. Let the icing set completely.
• Add the meringue powder to 1/2 cup water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip for about 30 seconds. Slowly add the confectioner's sugar, and continue to beat until medium peaks form. If the icing is too stiff, add water a tablespoon at a time. Keep covered until ready to use. Transfer to a squeeze bottle for easier decorating.

WANDA'S CUTOUT CREAM COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and pinch of salt.
• In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar with electric mixer, till light and fluffy.
• Add eggs, light cream and flavoring.
• Turn out dough onto plastic wrap; flatten with hands chill in refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Remove dough and roll on on a lightly floured board 1/8" thick.
• Press with favorite cookie cutters.
• Preheat oven at 425 degrees and Bake for 12-15 minutes.
• Dust with confectionery sugar or frost with favorite icing.

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.

DECORATED CHRISTMAS CUTOUT COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Chill until firm, 1 hour. , On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-in thickness. Cut out with Christmas cookie cutters of your choice. Using a floured spatula, transfer cookies to greased baking sheets. Bake at 375° until lightly browned, 8-10 minutes. Cool completely on wire racks., Decorate cookies with frosting and colored sugars.

MOM'S CHRISTMAS SUGAR CUT-OUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line 2 baking pans with parchment paper.
• Mix confectioners' sugar, butter, egg, vanilla, and almond extract in a bowl with an electric mixer until it comes together well and butter is not clumpy. Slowly mix in baking soda and cream of tarter, then flour. When the dough becomes tougher to mix, use your hands to mash and knead until the dough is completely formed.
• Transfer dough to a large, floured work surface. Carefully roll to a thickness of about 1 centimeter or a little more; the thicker the dough, the softer the cookie. (These cookies will puff up in the oven.) Add flour to your work surface, the dough, and the rolling pin as needed.
• Cut out as many shapes as you can cleverly fit in the dough. Remove any extra dough from the perimeters of your cookies. Save all the scraps and roll into another ball for the next round of rolling and cutting out cookies.
• Delicately transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 1 inch of space between each one.
• Bake one tray at a time on the middle rack of the preheated oven, until cookies are still white on top and have fluffed up, 7 to 8 minutes. If they brown lightly along the edges, they should be removed immediately. Let the cookies sit on the tray for 1 minute and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool while you bake the second sheet of cookies.
• While cookies are cooling, prepare frosting by beating butter, egg white, and vanilla together in a bowl until creamy. Slowly mix in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Divide frosting into smaller bowls. Add 2 to 3 drops food coloring per bowl and mix well.
• Apply a thick layer of frosting to cooled cookies, spreading as smoothly as you can. Leave cookies on wire racks and cover with waxed paper. Let sit until frosting has hardened, 8 hours to overnight.