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Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Cooking @ Home: Keep it simple
No need to reinvent the wheel with the classic sugar cookie
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I love holiday baking, and one of my favorite things about the season is making Christmas cookies. But I’m rebelling this year and taking a stand. Look, everyone loves a complicated recipe with some stunning ingredient that makes the final dish taste unexpected – no one more than me, in fact. Check the front page of any of my social media feeds and you’ll find recipes calling for browned butter, or grinding your own oat flour, or any other number of ways to try to reinvent the wheel of this classic holiday staple.
But it’s 2024, and this year, I say, “No!” This winter I am giving up feeling like I need to impress anyone on Instagram, or have anyone ask me if there’s a secret ingredient to my cookies. This year, I’ll just settle for them asking if they can have any more, because ultimately, that’s the truest and best compliment I can hope to receive.
I love these cookies not just because they come out lightly sweet (but not overly so ), but also because the frosting on them will harden after about a day, making this crispy little sheet on top of the cookie that provides just a hint of texture as you bite into them.
Recipe
Christmas Cookies
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 dozen to 5 dozen, depending on cookie cutter shape
Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs
Frosting:
1 pound powdered sugar
1/4 pound softened butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 to 4 tablespoons milk
Directions:
Cream together sugar, butter, vanilla, and eggs.
Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda, then combine with egg mixture.
Divide into 4 portions, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out on lightly floured surface to approximately 1/4-inch thickness and cut into desired shapes.
Bake about 8 minutes or until edges are just golden brown and allow to cool completely before frosting.
Whisk frosting ingredients together until well combined. Spread onto cookies in a smooth, even layer. Top with sprinkles before frosting sets if desired.
At the same time, the moisture in the frosting soaks into the cookie a little bit, keeping them nice and soft even after several days. I would still keep them in airtight storage, but you can easily make these a week or so before the holiday and they’ll still be ready for caroling or sitting by the fireplace watching “A Christmas Story.”
These are the cookies my mom made for me for the holidays, and the ones her mother made for her years before. Hopefully they make someone out there just as happy as they’ve made my family for generations.
Happy holidays!
Alex Gallegos is an enthusiastic home cook who enjoys trying new recipes and learning new techniques. Find this recipe and others like it at platefulsofflavors.com.
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