HappyCook80's Recipe

Rolled Christmas Cookies

Category: Recipes

Rolled Christmas Cookies

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon lemon zest, finely grated
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups bleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Soften the butter. In a mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until fluffy. Add the egg, lemon zest, and vanilla extract and beat until blended. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining dry ingredients. On low speed, gradually add them to the butter mixture and mix until incorporated.

Add water, a few drops at a time, only until the dough starts to come away from the sides of the bowl.

Scrape the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and use the wrap, not your fingers, to press the dough together to form a thick flat disc. Wrap it well and refrigerate for at least 2 hours but not more than 3.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 1/8 inch thickness. Cut shapes using your favorite holiday cookie cutters or homemade cardboard patterns or even freehand. With a small, angled metal spatula or pancake turner, transfer the cookies to the prepared cookie sheets (grease them if they are not nonstick). If you are planning to hang the cookies, make small holes with blunt end of wooden skewer.

Reroll the scraps, chilling them first, if necessary.

Bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until the cookies begin to brown around the edges. For even baking, rotate the cookie sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking period.

Using metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire racks to cool before decorating with icing, sprinkles and other glittering holiday edibles.

Quick icing recipe: Mix 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 3 tablespoons hot, but not boiling water. Combine until smooth.

For a flawless finish, spoon icing onto the center of the cookie and work toward the edges. Decorate as desired.
Yields about 4 dozen 3 inch cookies.

Variation; Candy Canes: Divide dough in half, wrap up half in waxed paper and add red food coloring to the other half before wrapping. Chill as above.

Working with small amounts at a time, roll walnut-sized balls of dough into ropes of equal size. Intertwine one white rope and one red rope and then form the braid into the shape of a cane. Bake as directed above.

Hint: To prevent overbrowning of cookies or the "spreading" associated with using greased pans, use parchment paper. It's available in most grocery stores' baking aisles or from a cake and candy supply shop.