Description
Festive Christmas Cookies blend classic holiday cheer with delightful sweetness, creating a mouthwatering treat perfect for seasonal celebrations. Crisp edges, rich buttery flavor, and delicate sprinkles invite you to savor the warmth of homemade holiday magic.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Dry Ingredients:
- 3 cups (720 ml) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) sour cream
Instructions
- Prepare workspace by aligning parchment-lined baking trays and preheating oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl, ensuring uniform texture.
- Using an electric mixer, whip softened butter and sugar until achieving a cloud-like, pale consistency with increased volume.
- Incorporate egg and extracts into butter mixture, blending thoroughly until smooth and integrated.
- Gently fold sour cream into the wet ingredients, creating a silky, unified base.
- Gradually introduce dry ingredients to wet ingredients, stirring carefully to prevent overmixing and maintain a tender dough texture.
- Dust work surface with flour and roll dough to an even ¼-inch thickness, using holiday-themed cutters to create festive shapes.
- Carefully transfer delicate cookie shapes onto prepared baking sheets, maintaining consistent spacing.
- Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, watching for subtle golden edges indicating perfect doneness.
- Allow cookies to rest on baking sheet for brief cooling period before transferring to wire rack for complete cooling.
- Craft smooth icing by whisking powdered sugar with milk and extract, adjusting liquid for ideal drizzling or piping consistency.
- Embellish cooled cookies with icing, adding decorative sprinkles or artistic touches before allowing icing to solidify completely.
Notes
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes before rolling to prevent spreading and maintain crisp cookie shapes.
- For gluten-free version, swap all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend to ensure similar texture.
- Use room temperature ingredients like butter and egg to create smoother, more consistent cookie dough.
- Avoid overbaking by removing cookies when edges are just barely golden to maintain soft, tender texture.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 100 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 21 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg