Christmas Cookie Cookbook by Alaina Herrera

Christmas Cookie cookbook

Table of Contents Gingerbread Mug Mates

Poinsettia Pinwheel cookies

Reindeer Mask Cookies

Minty Christmas Tree Cutout Cookies

Penguin slice and bake cookies

Gingerbread mug mates

Level: Intermediate

Total Time: 6 hrs. 30 mins.

Yield: 24 cookies

Ingredients Gingerbread People: • • • • • • • • • • • •

Icing:

2 cups of all purpose flour, plus more for dusting 1 Tbsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp ground allspice 1/4 tsp find ground salt 1/2 stick of (4 Tbsp) unsalted butter cut into 1 inch pieces at room temperature 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup molasses 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 large egg Nonstick cooking spray

• • • •

8 ounces (about 1 2/3 cups) confectioner’s sugar 1/4 cup meringue powder Red, green, and black food coloring 24 mini candy canes

Special Equipment: • •

3 inch gingerbread man cookie cutter Eight 12 inch long diameter wooden dowels

Instructions

For the gingerbread people: Whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, allspice and salt in a medium bowl until well blended. Beat together the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer starting on low and increasing speed, scraping the sides of the bowl down as needed, until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the molasses and vanilla until combined, then beat in the egg. (The mixture will look curdled.) Turn to low speed and beat in the flour mixture, a little at a time, until the mixture comes together, then increase speed and beat until all the ingredients are well incorporated and you have a sticky dough. Divide the dough in half, flatten into 2 discs and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

2. Position 2 racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Keeping the other Gingerbread Mug Mates

Instructions disc refrigerated, roll 1 disc on a well-floured surface to a thickness of just over 1/8-inch, sprinkling flour on and under the dough as needed and sliding a spatula underneath every so often to prevent sticking. (If the dough looks crackly or breaks apart, press it back together from the outside-edge in.) Dust off the excess flour. Cut out gingerbread people using a 3-inch gingerbread cookie cutter, cutting as close together on the dough as possible. Pull away the extra dough around each cookie and use a small spatula to transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets about 1/2 inch apart, placed in 3 rows of 4. Gather together the scraps, leaving behind the excess flour, then knead them a few times to form a smooth dough again. Re-roll them in the same way. If the dough gets too sticky, put it back in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic, for a few minutes. (If there are any pieces of dough stuck to the work surface, scrape them away with a spatula, flour the surface again and then continue to roll the dough.) Freeze the cookies on the baking sheets to firm them, about 5 minutes. 3. While the cookies chill, roll the dough scraps together into a long 1/4-inch rope and cut into 1-inch pieces. Remove the chilled cookies from the freezer and extend the left arm of each man with the 1-inch dough pieces by pressing the dough piece onto the tip of each person’s arm. (This will reinforce them and double their length.) Make sure the gingerbread people are lined up evenly. 4. Wrap eight 12-inch-long and 1/4-inch-diameter wooden dowels tightly with foil (keep them smooth), then spray them liberally with cooking spray. Line up 4 gingerbread people head-to-toe and wrap their left arms around the dowel, so that 4 people can hold one dowel at a time with 1/4 inch of space in between them. Repeat with the remaining groups of 4 and chill the cookies on the baking sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes. 5. Bake the cookies, rotating and switching the position of the baking sheets halfway through, until they are slightly firm to the touch but not browned, 12 to 15 minutes. 6. Cool the cookies 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack and give the dowels a gentle twist to loosen them. Let the cookies cool completely, then slowly slide the cookies off the dowels one at a time, being careful not to break their arms. (The cookies will continue to firm as they cool.) 7. For the icing: Combine the confectioners’ sugar and meringue powder in a large bowl. Add 4 tablespoons of water and beat with a hand mixer on low

2 Gingerbread Mug Mates

Instructions speed until the frosting thickens and becomes pure white. Separate the icing into bowls and color as desired 8. Put the icing into piping bags or resealable plastic bags and snip the corners to the desired size. Use the icing to decorate the cookies, then allow to dry, about 1 hour. 9. Carefully slide the candy canes in place, with the hook facing behind each head, and pipe a small amount of icing in the holes to lock them in place. Rest on the edge of a cookie sheet with the hooks hanging off to set, about 1 hour. 10. Hang cookies on a mug or glass filled with your favorite holiday beverage.

Gingerbread Mug Mates

Poinsettia Pinwheel Cookies Ingredients

Level: Intermediate

• • • • • • • • •

Total Time: 4hrs. 30 mins.

Yield: 18 cookies

One 8 ounce package of cream cheese, at room temperature 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature 3 Tbsp granulated sugar 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting Half a tsp fine salt Red course sanding sugar, for decorating White course sanding sugar, for decorating Green course sanding sugar, for decorating 18- 20 yellow candy coated chocolates, such as M&Ms

Instructions

Beat the cream cheese, butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour and salt until combined Divide the dough between 2 large pieces of plastic wrap. Flatten each into a 1/2-inch-thick disk and wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment

4. Roll out 1 disk of dough on a lightly floured surface until about 1/8 inch thick, dusting with more flour as needed. 5.

Cut out 3-inch squares using a sharp paring knife or a 3-inch square cutter (you should be able to get 6 or 7 squares). Lift the cutouts using an offset spatula and arrange 2 inches apart on one of the prepared baking sheets. Re-wrap and refrigerate the dough scraps while you shape the pinwheels.

6. Cut a 1 1/2 slit into all four corners of each dough square to form 8 points. Fold over every other point and press to the center of the square. Refrigerate while you make the leaves.

4 Poinsettia Pinwheel Cookies

Instructions 7.

Cut enough leaves out of the scraps using a sharp paring knife or a leaf-shaped cutter, making leaves for each pinwheel. Arrange the leaves on the other prepared baking sheet. Lightly brush with water and sprinkle with green sanding sugar. Set aside in the refrigerator.

8. Lightly brush the pinwheels with water and sprinkle half with red sanding sugar and half with white sanding sugar. Brush the end of 2 leaves and tuck underneath a pinwheel on opposite sides. (No need to press the dough, it will melt together as it bakes) 9. Bake rotating the sheet halfway through, until the cookies are puffed and the edges are golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Immediately press the chocolate candy in the center of each warm cookie. Let cool for 5 minutes then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. 10. Repeat with the remaining disk of dough and any remaining scraps, to make more cookies.

Poinsettia Pinwheel Cookies

Reindeer Mask Cookies Ingredients Level: Intermediate

Total Time: 2hrs 15 mins.

Sugar Dough: •

Yield: 9 cookies

Royal Icing:

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more • 1 pound (about 1 3/4 cups) for dusting confectioners’ sugar, plus more for 1/2 tsp fine salt dusting 1/8 tsp baking soda • 2 Tbsp meringue powder 1 large egg • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 1 tsp pure vanilla extract • Dark brown gel food coloring 1 1/2 sticks (12 Tbsp.) Salted butter, at • Light brown gel food coloring room temperature • 9 red gummy fruit candy halves 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar Special Equipment:

• • • • • • •

• • • • • •

2 1/2 inch round cutter 2 1/4 inch round cutter 9 wooden pop sticks 3 pastry bags 2 small round piping tips 1 small closed star piping tip

Instructions 1.

For the dough: Whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Beat together the egg and vanilla in a small bowl.

2. Beat the butter, granulated sugar, and confectioners’ sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed. Once incorporated, increase the speed to medium and beat until slightly creamy, about 3 minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. 3.

Reduce the speed to low again and slowly pour in the egg mixture; beat until combined. Add the flour mixture, in 3 additions, increasing the speed as the dough gets thicker to keep the beaters spinning. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the

6 Reindeer Mask Cookies

Instructions beaters as needed. Once all the flour in incorporated, increase the speed to mediumhigh and beat until the dough is very smooth about 5 minutes. 4. Turn the dough out of the bowl and bring it together. Divide into 2 even pieces. Shape each piece into a flat square and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hours or overnight. 5. To roll, cut and bake the cookies: Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 305 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Dust another sheet of parchment paper with flour and put 1 piece of the dough on top. 6. Dust with more flour and top with anther sheet of parchment paper. Roll the dough out between the parchment sheets into a square about 1/4-inch thick and place in the freezer for 5 minutes. Repeat with the remaining piece of dough. 7.

From 1 piece of rolled dough, cut out 8 cookies with a 2 1/2-inch cutter and 4 cookies with a 2 1/4-inch cutter. Make the masks by placing 2 of the larger cookies on the prepared baking sheet next to each other so they are barely touching. Place one of the wooden sticks in the middle of the cookies. Place one of the smaller cookies on top of the stick to secure the pieces together. Repeat with remaining cookies, placing each mask about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Refrigerate while you cut the remaining cookies. Re-roll any scraps of dough and repeat the freezing, cutting, and refrigerating process until all the dough is used.

8. Bake, rotating the baking sheets front to back and bottom to top about halfway through, until golden brown around the edges, about 12 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets set on a wire cooling rack, about 30 minutes. 9. Meanwhile, for the royal icing: Combine the confectioners’ sugar and meringue powder in a large bowl. Add 4 teaspoons water and the vanilla and whip with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until the icing forms thick and glossy peaks, about 2 minutes (adding up to 1 Tbsp more water if needed). The white will be your muzzle, so it need to be very stiff so it holds a textured shape. 10. Fit 3 pastry bags with a small tips - 2 with small round tips and 1 with a smaller closed star tip. Remove 1 cup of frosting and place into a piping bag with a small closed star tip. 11. Put 1/4 cup of the remaining frosting into a small bowl. Add 12 drops of the dark brown food coloring and whisk until combined. This will be used to outline the cheeks and draw the mouth, so it needs to be thick but not as stiff as the white. (The food coloring should be enough added liquid but add a drop of water if it is too thick.) Reindeer Mask Cookies

Instructions 12. Add 7 to 9 drops of the light brown food coloring to the frosting still in the mixer, Add a few drops of water. Beat until combined and loose, adding more water if necessary. This will be the flood color for the cheeks, so it needs to be loose but not watery. 13. Pipe a line of the dark brown icing around the outer edge of each cheek (the large cookies). This will be the rim that contains the light brown flood so make sure there are no gaps or holes. Repeat with remaining cookies. Once you have finished the edges of all the cookies, check to make sure the first cookie is dry. If not, wait 5 to 10 more minutes until the edges are dry. Then flood each of the cheeks with the light brown frosting. Allow the cookies to dry for 10 to 15 minutes before continuing to decorate (depending on how fast you are, this might be as long as it takes you to flood all the cookies). Once the cheeks are dry, fill the center circle with piped white swirls. Place a red gummy candy halve in the middle of each circle just above the center. Lastly, pipe a mouth onto your mask – starting at the candy nose, pipe a small line down that curves out into hooks in opposite directions. Repeat with remaining noses. Let the cookies dry completely before serving and wearing.

8 Reindeer Mask Cookies

Minty Christmas Tree cutout Cookies Ingredients Level: Intermediate

Total Time: 7 hours

Yield: 4 dozen cookies

Green Royal Icing: • 8 ounces about (1 2/3 cups) confec2 cups plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour, tioners’ sugar plus more for dusting • 1/4 cup meringue powder 1/8 tsp baking soda • 2 Tbsp green food coloring 1/8 tsp fine salt • 20 drops red food coloring 1 tsp pure mint or peppermint Decorating: extract 1/2 cup granulated sugar • 6 mini nonpareil-covered chocolate 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar candies 1 tsp pure vanilla extract • White nonpareils, for sprinkling 1 large egg 1 1/2 sticks ( 12 Tbsp) unsalted butter, Special Equipment at room temperature. • 2-inch Christmas tree cookie cutter • Piping bag with a 1/16-inch tip (Optional)

Cookies: • • • • • • • • •

Instructions

For the cookies: Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Mix the mint and vanilla extracts with the egg in a small bowl with a fork.

2. Beat together the butter, granulated sugar and confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer on low speed until the butter has picked up the sugars, about 30 seconds. (If using an electric hand mixer, beat about 2 minutes.) Increase the speed to medium and beat, stopping halfway to scrape the bowl, until slightly creamy, about 1 minute. 3.

Reduce the speed to low, slowly add the egg mixture and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture a heaping cup at a time in 2 additions, stopping a few times to scrape the bowl and beaters. (If using a hand mixer, increase the speed as the dough gets thicker to keep the beaters spinning.) Once all the flour is just incorporated, increase the speed to medium and beat until the dough is very smooth, about 2 minutes (about 5 minutes with a hand mixer).

4. Turn the dough out of the bowl and bring it together. Divide the dough into 2 even Minty Christmas Tree Cutout Cookies

Instructions pieces, each about 11 ounces. Shape each piece into a 6-inch square and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hours and up to overnight. 5. Remove one of the dough squares from the refrigerator and let soften until just pliable but still cool and firm, about 15 minutes. Position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. 6. Dust a piece of parchment with flour. Dust the dough square with flour and roll it out on the parchment to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Lift the dough occasionally by sliding a metal spatula or bench scraper underneath to make sure it isn’t sticking to the parchment. Cut out Christmas trees with a 2-inch cutter as close together as possible and transfer them to the prepared baking sheets, leaving 1 inch between the trees. Gather together the scraps and roll and cut more cookies. Chill the cookies on the baking sheets in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking. 7.

Bake, rotating the baking sheets from front to back and top to bottom halfway through, until the cookies are light golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool the cookies about 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.

8. Meanwhile, remove the second dough square from the refrigerator to soften until just pliable but still cool and firm, about 15 minutes. Repeat the rolling, cutting, chilling and baking procedures with the second dough square. 9. For the green royal icing: Combine the confectioners’ sugar and meringue powder in a large bowl. Add 3 tablespoons water and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the frosting thickens. The icing should be pure white and thick but not fluffy and bubbly. (If the frosting is over-beaten, it will get aerated, which makes it harder to work with. If this happens, let the frosting sit for a bit to settle, then use a rubber spatula to vigorously beat and smooth out the icing.) Add the green and red food coloring and beat until evenly distributed and the color is a deep hunter green. Put the icing in a resealable plastic bag and snip the corner to make a tiny opening (or put the icing in a piping bag with a 1/16-inch tip). 10. To decorate: Pipe a dot of icing onto the top point of each tree. Stick a chocolate nonpareil candy on each dot. Pipe the icing onto the cookies in zigzags to make a tree design. Sprinkle white nonpareils around the icing as snow. Let the icing set at room temperature, at least 1 hour.

10 Minty Christmas Tree Cutout Cookies

Penguin Slice-and-Bake Cookies

Level: Intermediate

Total Time: 4 hours

Yield: about 24 cookies

Ingredients • • • • • •

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus • more for dusting • 1/2 tsp baking powder • 1/4 tsp fine salt • 1 1/2 sticks (12 Tbsp) unsalted butter, • at room temperature 2/3 cups sugar • 1 large egg, plus 1 beaten for egg wash •

2 tsp pure vanilla extract Orange gel food coloring Black gel food coloring 1/4 cup (3 ounces) red melting wafers 12 mini marshmallows, halved crosswise 1/4 cup (3 ounces) white melting wafers 48 mini chocolate chips

Instructions

Make the cookies: Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in 1 egg and the vanilla until incorporated. Reduce the mixer speed to low; add the flour mixture and beat until just combined.

2. Turn out all but 1/4 cup of the dough onto a floured surface. Add 3 drops orange food coloring to the dough left in the bowl and mix on low until evenly colored a vibrant orange. Flatten the orange dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until just firm, about 20 minutes. 3.

Wipe the mixing bowl and paddle clean and add 3/4 cup of the remaining uncolored dough back into the bowl. Add 4 drops black food coloring and mix on low until evenly colored a deep black. Form the black dough into a rectangle, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until just firm, about 20 minutes.

4. Make the penguin’s body: Roll the remaining uncolored dough into a cylinder 9- to 10-inches long and about 1 1/2-inches wide. Wrap in plastic and set aside at room temperature. 5. Divide the orange dough into 3 equal pieces (these will be the feet and the nose). Roll into 3 ropes, 9- to 10-inches long and about 1/3-inch wide. Press one rope into a triangle shape by flattening the sides (a ruler is helpful for this). Wrap the orange pieces separately in plastic and freeze until hard, about 15 minutes. Penguin Slice and Bake Cookies

Instructions 6. Slice through the uncolored cylinder lengthwise to make 2 long half-moons. Brush both halves on the cut side with the egg wash. Press the orange triangle rope down the center of the cut side of one of the halves. Cover with the other half and press together to seal and re-form into a cylinder. 7.

Make the black part of the penguin’s body: On a floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll the black dough into a 1/4-inch thick 9-by-4-inch rectangle, with the long side facing you. Use the rolling pin to flatten each of the long sides out 1 inch more so that the edges are thinner and the rectangle mounds in the center. The rectangle should be 9 by 6 inches. Brush the black rectangle with the egg wash then wrap it around the uncolored cylinder, pushing with your hands to adhere the doughs. There will be a thicker layer of black dough on top of the cylinder (the penguin’s head) and a thinner layer on the bottom. 8. Adhere the feet: Brush the thinner, bottom part of the black dough with egg wash and press the 2 thin orange ropes along the length of the dough about 1/4 inch apart (these will be the feet). Wrap in plastic and use the heels of your hands to form the log into an egg shape; the head should be the narrow end. Freeze until solid, about 2 hours. 9. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.

12 Penguin Slice and Bake Cookies

Instructions 10. Cut 1/4 inch off each end of the cylinder with a very sharp knife to reveal the penguin face. Slice the cylinder into about 1/4-inch-thick cookies. Arrange the slices about 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until crisp and just starting to turn brown on the bottom, 10 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. 11. Line another baking sheet with parchment. Melt the red candy melts in a small glass bowl in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until completely melted and smooth. Dip the top of each penguin’s head in the red candy melts to make a hat; dip the heads slightly off-center for a jaunty look. Put the cookies on the prepared baking sheet. Stick a marshmallow on the center of each hat for a pompom and let the candy melts harden, about 15 minutes. 12. Meanwhile, melt the white candy melts in a glass bowl in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between each, until completely melted and smooth. Transfer to a small resealable plastic bag and seal. Cut a very small hole in one of the corners of the bag and decorate the hat as desired. Use the white candy melts to attach 2 mini chips for the eyes. Let the candy melts harden completely before serving, about 15 minutes.

Penguin Slice and Bake Cookies