Festive Sugar Cookies

10 min

Prep Time

10 min

Cook time

4 dozen

Serves

It’s finally the end of a crazy year and the best time to celebrate life with your favorite friends and family. Nothing says the holiday season like delicious decorated festive cookies, and instead of a store-bought product, the perfect holiday activity is to make them yourself. Whether as a gift or to fill your in-house cookie jar, your custom cookie creations will be a joy for your loved ones of all ages.

The Secret Is in the Texture

If not baked right, sugar cookies can be dry and crumbly but this can be easily avoided. Ensure that your sugar and butter are sufficiently creamed before adding your additional ingredients. If baked at the right temperature for about 8 minutes, a soft and fluffy texture will result in the most delightful, light and flavorful cookies. Watch for your sugar and butter mixture becoming a creamy white texture – then you’re ready for the next step.

Remember that it’s essential to cool your cookies before decorating. Otherwise, your stunning creations will be diminished to a melted mess.

It’s Time to Get Creative

While you must carefully follow your sugar cookie recipe, there’s no limit as to how you can decorate your sweet treats. Purchase the perfect holiday-themed cookie cutters, for starters, to get your desired cookie shape. From there, you can top your cookies with raw sugar or Belle Donne colored sprinkles.

However, if you want to create even more details, you can make royal icing to paint with as much detail as you desire.

The Best Festive Season’s Edible Gifts

Now that you have your gorgeous sugar cookies, you probably want to gift a few to friends and family. You don’t need to spend a fortune on expensive wrapping. Rather, collect old jars, fill them with cookies, and decorate them with ribbons and trinkets; a hot glue gun is always useful!

Not only will your Christmas gifts be completely personalized and home-made, but you’ll save a fortune on buying expensive presents.

Finally

While baking delicious sugar cookies can be the perfect escape for mom or dad, it might also be a fun activity to share with your kids. Not only can they help you with the baking process (every child loves to crack an egg), but they can also assist in cookie decorations and packaging design; a fun-filled day to share with the ones you love most. All this, in true holiday season spirit.

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup softened butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon Belle Donne Vanilla Extract
3 tablespoons buttermilk
Raw sugar or Belle Donne coloured sprinkles (optional decoration)

Decoration Ideas

While we suggest that you decorate these sugar cookies with raw sugar or sprinkles, there are many ways to add some fun, flavour, and visual appeal to your holiday cookies. Here are a few ideas you may want to try.

Use a variety of holiday-related cookie cutters. From reindeer to mittens and snowmen to candy canes and even snowflakes, there are many cookie cutters shapes available.

Mix a little powdered drink mix with granulated sugar and sprinkle on the cookies.

Use a small stencil and coloured sugar or food colouring to add a design or symbol.

Directions

In a small bowl, add the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Blend the mixture to combine well. Set aside.
In a large bowl, add the butter and sugar. Use a hand mixer, set on medium speed, to cream the butter and sugar together until it is smooth.
Add in the egg and vanilla. Mix thoroughly.
Gradually blend in the flour mixture, adding a small amount at a time and mixing well between additions.
Add the buttermilk one tablespoonful at a time. You just want to add enough buttermilk to moisten the dough and make it soft.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Use a teaspoon to scoop up a rounded spoonful of dough. Roll the dough into a ball and place it on an ungreased cookie sheet, flattening the cookie slightly.
Using a pastry brush dipped in the remaining buttermilk, moisten the top of each cookie. Then sprinkle with raw sugar or coloured sprinkles.
Bake the cookies for about 8 minutes or until the centers are firm and they begin to turn golden. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool for 2 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.