Santa Claus Cutouts
Santa turns out to be a handsome fellow when I use my favorite cutout cookie recipe. Painting on the candy coating allows for detailed decorating. My 14 shoe boxes of shaped cutters tell you how much I enjoy making cookies. 40 ServingsPrep: 30 min. + chilling Bake: 10 min./batch + cooling
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- White, red and blue candy coating disks
Directions
- In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar until light
- and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour and salt;
- gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate
- for 1-2 hours or until firm.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-in. thickness.
- Cut with a floured 3-in. Santa cookie cutter. Place 1 in. apart on
- greased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 6-8 minutes or until
- edges are lightly browned. Cool for 1 minute before removing to wire
- racks to cool completely.
- Melt white candy coating; using a clean paintbrush, add a beard,
- mustache, eyebrows, hat brim and pom-pom to each Santa. Melt red
- coating; add hat, nose and mouth. Melt blue coating; add eyes. Let
- stand until set. Store in an airtight container. Yield: about 3
- dozen.