We love Christmas and have a whole batch of things that we do in the lead up to Christmas. When my grandchildren start school holidays they spend days with me doing Christmas stuff. Decorated sugar cookies are one of the things we do, and they do a really interesting job of the decorating.

 

SUGAR COOKIE RECIPE

  • 130g softened butter
  • 180g caster sugar
  • 1/2 tbs vanilla extract
  • 325g plain flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Method

  1. Mix the softened butter, sugar and vanilla in the mixer, on low speed, until just combined (about 1 minute).
  2. With the mixer still on low speed, add egg and spices and continue mixing until combined, then add the flour, spoon by spoon, mixing until it all comes together.
  3. Remove the lump of dough and lay it onto a piece of baking paper and flatten it out by hand. Put something either side of the edge of the baking paper to set the height, then put another piece of baking paper on the top and press and smooth to roughly level it out, then use a rolling pin to roll it out so it’s even. I have cut the end off some chop sticks to use to get a consistent height and my cutting boards are also about the right height.
  4. Place the flattened dough in fridge overnight or freezer until it is set. This makes it easier to cut.
  5. Preheat the oven to 180C.
  6. Lay out the dough and cut preferred shapes, a circle is pretty traditional but Christmas trees or a gingerbread man works.
  7. Place on a tray lined with baking paper.
  8. Bake at 180°C for 10 minutes, turning at 5 minutes.
  9. Remove from the oven when the edges are just starting to colour up.
  10. Allow to cool a little before placing on a wire rack to completely cool.
  11. Decorate when cool or store in an airtight container or even freeze until ready to decorate with royal icing or pre-made writing icing.

No-Spread Sugar Cookie

​Yields: Approx. 25-30 cookies

Oven: 175C

​Ingredients

  • ​150g Butter (softened)
  • ​50g white Sugar
  • ​50g Icing Sugar
  • ​300g Plain  Flour
  • ​15g Cornflour
  • ​50g Egg (Whisk together your chicken/duck/goose eggs and weigh out exactly
  • ​1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • ​1/2 tsp Baking Powder (optional)
  • ​1/4tsp Salt (omit if using salted butter)

Method

​Part 1: Mixing the Dough

  1. ​Prep: Preheat oven to 175^\circ\text{C} (350^\circ\text{F}). Line baking sheets with parchment.
  2. ​Dry Ingredients: Whisk the 300\text{g} Flour, 15\text{g} Cornflour, Baking Powder, and Salt.
  3. ​Cream: Beat the 150\text{g} Butter and both Sugars (50\text{g} each) until very pale and fluffy.
  4. ​The Eggs: Whisk your various eggs in a small bowl first to combine the whites and yolks, then weigh out exactly 50\text{g} of the mixture. Add this to the butter along with the Vanilla.
  5. ​Combine: Gradually add the dry mix. Mix on low until it just forms a dough. Stop immediately to keep them tender.

​Part 2: Rolling and Chilling

  1. ​Roll: Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to 5-6\text{mm} thickness.
  2. ​Chill: Refrigerate the flat sheet for at least 1 hour. This is the “secret” to no-spread edges!

​Part 3: Cutting and Baking

  1. ​Cut: Peel back the top paper and cut shapes.
  2. ​Bake: Bake for 8 to 12 minutes.
    • ​Note: They should look “matte” and dry on top. If they start to turn brown, they will be crunchy rather than soft.
  3. ​Cool: Cool on the tray for 5 minutes before moving.

​Tip for Duck/Goose Eggs: If you use a high proportion of duck or goose egg in that 50\text{g}, the cookies may be even richer and softer due to the higher fat content in the yolks!