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How to Bake Christmas Cookies

  • Introduction

  • How to Bake Sugar Cookies

    • Sugar cookies are a popular holiday treat. Delicious on their own, they are easy to decorate with Christmas colors. If you'd like to make a batch, visit Mahalo's guide to how to make sugar cookies.

  • How to Bake Gingerbread Men

    • What would Christmas be without gingerbread men? They're adorable. They're delicious, and one of their ilk has been immortalized in film thanks to Shrek. Kids have a great time decorating them, and you'll certainly have a good time eating them.

  • Gingerbread Men Baking Instructions

    1. In a large mixing bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda and spices. Set this bowl aside.
    2. In the bowl of a heavy duty mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.
    3. Add the egg and molasses until combined.
    4. Gradually add the flour mixture until fully incorporated.
    5. Divide the dough in half.
    6. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
    7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
    8. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
    9. Roll out the chilled dough to approximately 1/4 inch thick on a flat surface lightly dusted with flour.
    10. Cut out the dough using your gingerbread man cookie cutter.
      • To keep the cutter from sticking to the dough, spray lightly with cooking spray.
    11. Place the cookies on the cookie sheet.
    12. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 8 to 12 minutes depending on their size.
      • The cookies are done with the edges begin to brown.
    13. Remove the cookies from the oven.
    14. Cool on a rack for approximately 2 hours before decorating or freezing.

  • How to Bake Spritz Cookies

    • Ingredients You'll Need

    • 3 Cups of All-Purpose Flour
    • 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter at Room Temperature
    • 1/2 Cup of White Sugar
    • 1 Egg
    • 2/3 Cup of Molasses
    • 1/4 Teaspoon of Salt
    • 3/4 Teaspoon of Baking Soda
    • 2 Teaspoons of Ground Ginger
    • 1 Teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon
    • 1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Nutmeg
    • 1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Cloves

    Equipment You'll Need

    • 1 Large Mixing Bowl
    • Whisk or Sifter
    • 1 Heavy Duty Mixer
    • Plastic Wrap
    • Cookie Sheet
    • Parchment Paper
    • Rolling Pin
    • Gingerbread Man Cookie Cutter
    • Spatula

    Ingredients You'll Need

    • 2 1/4 Cups of All-Purpose Flour
    • 1 Egg
    • 1 Cup of Butter at Room Temperature
    • 1/2 Cup of Sugar
    • 1/4 Teaspoon of Salt
    • 1/4 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
    • Food Coloring (Optional)


    Equipment You'll Need

    • 1 Heavy Duty Mixer
    • Cookie Sheet
    • Cookie Press


  • Spritz Cookie Baking Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
    2. In the bowl of a heavy duty mixer, beat the butter and sugar.
    3. Stir in the the flour, salt, egg and vanilla extract.
    4. Stir in a few drops of food coloring if desired.
    5. Place dough in cookie press.
    6. Squeeze cookie press to form the desired shapes on the cookie sheet.
    7. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 5 to 8 minutes.
      • The cookies are done with the edges start to brown.
    8. Remove the cookies from the oven.
    9. Cool on a rack for approximately 2 hours before decorating or freezing.

  • How to Decorate Your Cookies

    • The best part of making Christmas cookies is definitely the decorating. You get to personalize your little baked creations, and if you have kids, you get to let them in on the act. So, bust out your pastry bags and gumdrops. It's time to give those gingerbread men some eyes.

  • Decorating Before You Bake

    • You can decorate your cookies before putting them in the oven. Try one of these pre-baking decorating techniques:
    1. Sprinkle course colored sugar on your cookies.
    2. Place nuts, colored sprinkles or dragees on your cookies.
    3. Mix beaten egg yolks with food coloring, and paint your cookies before they go in the oven.

  • Additional Decorating Tips

    1. To attach candies to your cookies after baking, use a drop of corn syrup or a dab of royal icing to hold them in place.
    2. Dust cookies with powdered sugar.
    3. Use a toothpick or small paintbrush to paint details on your cookies.

  • Shipping Your Holiday Cookies

    • One of the reasons sugar, gingerbread and Spritz cookies are so popular at the holidays is because they are easy to freeze and ship. Baked cookies will keep in the freezer for 3 to 4 weeks, and shipping them is a breeze if you follow these few simple rules:
    1. Pack cookies in two boxes - an inner gift box and an outer shipping box.
    2. Choose the right size box. You don't want your cookies shifting around and breaking.
    3. The box the cookies are in should have a tight lid.
    4. Lay the cookies flat, and pile same-shaped cookies on top of each other.
    5. Pack the area around the cookie tin or box with air popped popcorn. This is an inexpensive and ecologically-friendly alternative to bubble wrap or Styrofoam peanuts.

 


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