Holiday Sugar Cookies Recipe

Holiday Sugar Cookies Recipe photo by Taste of Home

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Cute Santas and a very creative string of lights are sure to steal the show this Christmas! They're the perfect centerpiece for your holiday cookie platter. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

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Holiday Sugar Cookies Recipe

Prep: 30 min. + chilling Bake: 10 min./batch + cooling

Yield: 49 Servings

25 10 35

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
DECORATING:
1/3 cup light corn syrup
Assorted sprinkles
Shoestring licorice
1/3 cup flaked coconut
28 miniature semisweet chocolate chips
14 red M&M's miniature baking bits
28 miniature marshmallows, halved

Directions

In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extracts. Combine the flour, baking soda and cream of tartar; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill in the freezer for 25 minutes or until easy to handle.
For lights: On a lightly floured surface, roll one portion of dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-1/2-in. light-shaped cookie cutter. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Using a plastic straw, make a hole 1/2 in. from the top of each cookie.
Bake at 350° for 6-8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Use a plastic straw to reopen holes in cookies. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
For Santas: Roll remaining dough directly on an ungreased baking sheet into an 11-in. x 8-in. rectangle. Cut lengthwise into two strips, but do not separate. Cut each strip into seven triangles (do not separate).
Bake at 350° for 10-13 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes; cut around cookies to separate. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
To decorate: Microwave corn syrup for 6-8 seconds or until thinned. Working with a few cookies at a time, brush corn syrup over the surface. For lights, decorate with sprinkles as desired. Thread licorice through holes.
For Santas, press coconut onto faces for beards. Attach chocolate chips for eyes and baking bits for noses. For hats, coat top of cookie with sprinkles; attach marshmallow halves for pom-poms. Yield: 4 dozen cookies.

Originally published as Holiday Sugar Cookies in Simple & Delicious November/December 2009, p55

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Holiday Sugar Cookies

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Reviewed on Dec. 27, 2011 by dianepage

We made these with preschoolers and they were a big hit. After only the recommended time in the freezer the dough was still too soft to really roll out and make cut-outs, but the resulting dough was like Play Doh / fun dough and the kids had a blast rolling it out and making initials, balls that we flattened into thumbprint cookies (throw a chocolate chip in the center), et cetera. Did the classic swap of 2t white vinegar for the 1t cream of tartar and that was no problem. Would make again!