Description
These delightful Santa cookies are perfect for holiday gatherings and gift-giving. Enjoy the festive creation process!
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 1/2 cups (320g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups powdered sugar (for royal icing)
- 3 tablespoons meringue powder (for royal icing)
- 9–10 tablespoons water (for royal icing)
- Red and black gel food coloring (for royal icing)
- Edible glitter (for decorations)
- Pink edible luster dust (for decorations)
Instructions
- Prepare Cookie Dough: In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add this to the butter mixture, mixing until combined. Divide the dough into two portions, wrap them in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Roll and Cut: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use a Santa-shaped cookie cutter to cut out cookies and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake: Bake cookies in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare Royal Icing: In a large bowl, combine the powdered sugar, meringue powder, and water. Beat until smooth and shiny. Divide the icing into separate bowls for coloring. Use red and black gel food coloring to create the necessary colors for Santa’s suit and features.
- Decorate: Using a piping bag, outline and flood Santa’s suit with red icing. Allow it to dry slightly before adding finer details like the hat, beard, and eyes with white and black icing. Use pink luster dust for the cheeks. Finish with edible glitter for a snowy effect.
Notes
- Chilling Dough: Chilling helps maintain the shape of the cookies, so don’t skip this step.
- Icing Consistency: Adjust the icing consistency by adding more water for a runnier icing or more powdered sugar for thicker icing.
- Decoration: Use toothpicks for intricate icing work and practice on wax paper first to perfect your technique.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 50mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 30mg