Christmas Cookies In A Jiffy

I know today is Friday, and I know you are expecting “Look Book Friday” but since it is the holidays LBF is on holiday as well. So I decided to share with you, how I spent my Christmas Eve and how proud of myself I am for finally making cookie cutter cookies. I have always wanted to do this, but it seemed so complicated—like you had to be Martha Stewart or a professional baker to pull this off. But it was easier then I thought. I was encouraged after making homemade biscotti which was not difficult either. The recipe was easy to follow and I was able to complete it in one day. However the dough has to sit in the refrigerator for at least two hours and then it has to sit out for about 45 minutes to become soft enough to work with. So start early. They left this information out of the recipe but you will not be able to work with the dough right out of the fridge. At first I thought I had done something wrong as it was so hard. Also, the recipe says to “quickly” add the flour to the butter mixture, but there was nothing quick about it. It took me a half hour to forty minuets to do this. They just say, not over work the dough in this final step as it can make the dough greasy and brittle. I did not leave the butter out before I started, so taking the butter out about an hour before you start should make this step easier. The final step before popping the cookies in to the oven is brushing them with egg yolk for shine. But personally I did not like how the cookies looked with the egg yolk on them, so I will skip this step next time. I think they look fine with a matte finish and I thought the egg yolk was too noticeable.

The options are endless as far as how to decorate the cookies. I had some pink decorative sugar left over so I used that. And since I love chocolate I dipped the cookies in chocolate, but you can also ice them, or use sprinkles, it is up to you, and what you fancy. You can follow this recipe from King Arthur Flour, it is almost exactly the same as the one I used—except for one thing. The King Arthur Flour recipe calls for a quarter teaspoon of extract or flavor for your choice, but the recipe I used called for the rind of one lemon, and I think it is this secret ingredient that made these cookies absolutely de-lish. So if you are feeling adventures go on and give it a while, I think you will be super proud with the results.