How to: Decorate Cookies for Christmas
I love, love, LOVE this time of year! The spirits of the holidays are thick in the air and you can feel it in the people, the places, and especially the food. Nothing can compare to the holiday treats and all of the baking wonders that have come out of family kitchens for generations. I think almost everyone has a fond memory connected to baking in the kitchen, whether it's a special meal, a dessert of being the quality control taster.
At our house, our holidays are filled with traditions. A unique combination of faith, family, and food which cultivates happiness.
Isn't that what the holidays are all about? Happiness, sharing our time and love with our friends and family, making memories, and honoring traditions. One of my favorite holiday traditions is baking and decorating sugar cookies, wrapping them in cellophane bags, sealing them with festive ribbon and giving them to family and friends. Homemade food gifts are an act of kindness that will be remembered by both the giver and the recipient for years to come.
In a perfect world, cookie baking would be pure fun – you'd mix the dough in a favorite bowl while carols played on the radio and a log burned in the fireplace. But that's not reality: more often than not, you whip up a last pan of lemon bars when everyone else is asleep, or squeeze in two batches between cleaning chores. It's time to turn on the oven, line the counters with ingredients, mixing bowls, and aprons, roll up our sleeves and get to work and not let that happen this year.
Helpful Hints to Get Started
1. Don't be afraid! Jump in there and do it!
2. Find a good cookie recipe. One that's been tried and proven true.
3. Did you know that many cookie doughs, including sugar cookies, gingerbread and shortbread, can be made and frozen up to three months ahead of time? Double wrap dough in plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn.
4. Did you forget to take the butter out of the refrigerator to soften? No problem. Remove the wrapper from the butter and use a cheese grater to grate the butter. It will soften much faster.
5. Parchment paper can be your best friend when it comes to baking. It keeps your pans clean and there's no need for greasing the pan.
6. Use 1/4" wood dowels (found at your local craft store) placed on either side of your dough so that the rolling pin rests on them while rolling, to help make you dough an even thickness.
7. Instead of waiting for your cookie dough to chill for two hours, divide the freshly made dough in half and place between two sheets of parchment paper.
Roll it out to the desired thickness then place the dough and paper on a cookie sheet and pop it into the refrigerator. Chill for about 15-20 minutes, until the dough firms up.
Continue rolling out your dough between the sheets of paper until you have used it all. Re-roll leftover dough and repeat the process!
An added bonus is that you are not adding any additional flour to your cookies. When rolling dough between two sheets of parchment paper, be sure to flip the dough over to make sure no deep wrinkles have formed on the back sheet. If you find that is has wrinkled, simply peel the back paper off and return it to the dough and carefully re-roll.
8. Cookies will continue to cook if you leave them on the cookie sheet so always put cookies on a wire rack to cool. Placing them directly on a plater will cause them to get soggy.
9. To make cleanup easier and faster, put cloth, paper, or saran wrap down on the kitchen table.
10. Set up a cookie decoration station by setting out small bowls of candies, sugars, and several colors of royal icing or frosting in plastic squeeze bottles or pastry bags.
11. Freeze baked cookies after completely cooled, for up to three months in airtight containers with waxed paper between layers. When ready to serve, put frozen cookie on a plate and let them come to room temperature.
