Nothing says "the holidays are here" like the smell of Christmas cookies from the oven, or a large tray displaying decorated stars, Santas and Christmas bells. The following are some tips and secrets that will keep holiday baking merry and bright.
Planning for Cookies
Baking can be a great bonding experience with family and friends, and especially children. A great way to make it special is to set aside a day or two just for cookie making and have the following supplies ready for the cookie baking day:
- Storage containers.
- A cooling rack. This allows cookies to cool and harden quickly.
- Parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. This keeps cookies and decorations from sticking to your cookie sheet.
- Cookie cutters
- Rolling pin
- Baking sheets
- Plenty of flour, eggs, unsalted butter, sanding sugar, frosting or other decorations
Chilling Out with Dough
The best tip for Christmas cookie baking is to prepare the dough on one day, and bake on another day. It not only divides up the process, since sugar cookie dough needs to be refrigerated for at least an hour before handling, it eliminates the temptation to roll out the dough before it is ready. Sugar cookie dough can be made and frozen for up to three months, so planning ahead is easy.
Keeping a baking sheet in the freezer is another helpful tool while rolling out and cutting dough. Sometimes, the dough will soften and warm up quickly while rolling, which can make those last few cutouts hard to remove. Placing a cold metal sheet pan or baking sheet on top of the dough for a few moments lowers the temperature so the dough can easily be handled again.
Powdered Sugar and Christmas Cookies
Powdered sugar is the secret to amazing Christmas cookies. Dry, tough dough is a common problem when rolling out sugar cookies, especially when scraps are used to re-roll. Flour can slowly incorporate into the dough, while drawing moisture out at the same time. By using powdered sugar instead, the cookies maintain their moisture and scraps are easier to reuse.
When decorating with sugar and sprinkles, a pastry brush is used to apply some water on the cookies, and acts as an adherent for decorations. The bonus of using powdered sugar is the water and powdered sugar form a "crust" on the top of the cookie, adding sweetness and crunch.
Stamp-style cookie cutters work well for the powdered sugar rolling method, they leave a bit of sugar on top of the cookie before the water and pastry brush step. For those with metal or simple outline-style cutters, simply sprinkle a scant amount of powdered sugar on top of each cookie for the crust effect.
Cookie Cutter Corners
Use one cutter per sheet of rolled-out dough, and fill the rest with a different shape. For example, a round, ornament-shaped cookie cutter may leave a long narrow patch of dough that can be filled with a candy cane cutter instead. Using one cutter per roll also allows for accurate measuring of each cookie type. One doesn't end up with 30 snowmen and no Christmas trees!
With a little planning and some cookie trade secrets, Christmas sugar cookies can be fun and flawless! For recipe ideas, Alton Brown's sugar cookie recipe works well for powdered sugar rolling, and Martha Stewart's basic sugar cookies have a great frosting recipe.
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