I volunteered to make 2 large batches of Christmas cookies this year. One batch for a local soup kitchen and another batch for our church community outreach X-mas eve dinner. The only problem is that when I baked and decorated cookies last year (for the first time ever) they tasted delicious, but looked terrible!
Last year was my first time using cookie cutters and sprinkles/icing and there were several mishaps in the kitchen. First, the cookies did not keep their shapes. At all. My first batch just looked like big spread out globs instead of the bells, stockings, trees, etc. they were supposed to be. My DH had this great revelation that I was probably supposed to bake the cookies *inside* the cookie cutters. I insisted that there was no way that could be true since I was certain that people who baked say a dozen heart shaped cookies did not have a dozen heart shaped cookie cutters lying around. Well, I lost that argument, and the second batch went in along with the cookie cutters. Needless to say, that didn't work. The cookies maintained their shapes, but the dough rose pretty high so the cookies ended up looking like little cakes or muffins and then there was the problem of how to get the cookies *out* of the cookie cutter without breaking them apart.
The other problem I had was when my then 2 year old daughter and I tried to decorate the cookies, the frosting/icing didn't really come out that nicely and the sprinkles didn't stay on. Kind of just rolled right off really.
I would love to be able to make those pretty X-mas cookies that I see on magazine covers and present them to the soup kitchen and our church. If it doesn't work out again this year, I guess I'll just spoon out little balls of cookie dough and let them bake into circles...
So my questions are:
1. How do you use cookie cutters and bake cookies so they actually look like the shape they're supposed to look like?
2. What type of sprinkles do you use to decorate your cookies that actually stay *on* the cookies.
3. Am I supposed to decorate the cookies before I bake them (seems like everything would melt and blend in) or do I decorate them after I take them out of the oven which is what I did last year, but the decorations didn't stay on...
4. Is there some type of special frosting/icing/"paint" that you use to decorate cookies? I didn't have great luck with the tubes of icing and was wondering if there was some type of "paint" icing that I could use. (I'm thinking of green xmas tree cookies that I've seen that look like the green is painted on instead of green icing that was squeezed out of a tube)
thanks,
J.
Cookies cut from a log of dough that has been refrigerated is also an option. You can roll the entire log in colored sugar befofe slicing or drizzle with icing and sugar once they're baked. One of my new favorites is Glazed Chai Shortbread cookies on the Land-o-Lakes website. You could have these in addition to the decorated ones for variety without having to intricately decorate them all.
I am running so I'm not reading all your responses -- apologize if I am repeating!
1. Don't let butter get too warm. There's some scientific reason about how once it's warm certain molecules burst or something and it no longer can help dough hold it's shape.
2/3. Sprinkles and colored sugar have to go on before baking unless you are using frosting once cookies have cooled. They either need to melt into the dough a little in the baking process or be applied to fresh frosting. If the frosting sets and develops that hard-ish top, the sprinkles won't stay, either.
4. You can make an egg white wash colored with food coloring to paint on, or color dough with food coloring before baking. We always just use frosting -- confectioners sugar with a little butter, milk and either vanilla, lemon or almond extract. You can look online to find a recipe you like.
BONUS: To make cookies look really great and professional, once I'm done frosting with all the colors (I put white frosting in different bowls and tint each one), I put a stiffer (more powder sugar) batch of frosting in a baggie, snip off one corner just a little bit, and use it to outline everything in white. It looks GREAT, it super easy and even fun! Good luck!
Go to bakeat350.com for a complete tutorial. Way more than I can print here but here are the highlights:
The dough is key - if your cookies spread out that much, you didn't have a good recipe for cut out cookie or your dough was too thin and/or too warm. Use the recipe from bake at 350 or use this one, which I have used and it has never failed me: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/the-best-rolled-sugar-cookies/
If it takes you a while to roll and cut out the cookies (it takes practice and as a beginner it takes longer) then throw the cut out cookies, on the sheet, into the freezer for a few minutes to firm up before baking.
Then make the royal icing from bakeat350 and follow her instructions. You will make the most gorgeous cookies you can imagine, I promise!
Yes, chilling your dough is good. Unfortunately, the only thing that really makes cookies pretty is practice. You have to practice enough to know what the best dough feels like and to be able to do the icing and stuff well enough to make them look good. It's all a learning experience. If you want them to be pretty this year, find some more organizations to support so you have to make more cookies. =) And bravo to you for taking on such worthwhile pursuits. =) Good luck!
Here is my recipe for sugar cookies and icing. This is the least fussy recipe I know for sugar cookies. You don't even need to chill the dough so it is easy to work with.
Roll Out Cookies
1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsps baking powder
3 c flour
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in egg and vanilla. Mix baking powder and flour, one cup at a time, mixing after each addition. The dough will be very stiff; blend last flour in by hand (if dough becomes too stiff, add water a teaspoon at a time.) Do not chill dough. Divide dough into 2 balls. On a floured surface, roll each ball into a circle, approximately 12 inches in diameter. Dip cutters in flour before each use. Bake cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet on top rack of oven for 6-7 minutes, or until cookies are lightly browned. Makes 20-24 average size cookies.
Poured Cookie Icing Recipe
This icing dries to a shiny, hard finish and tastes good too. It can be used for icing or to outline and fill in with a #2 or #3 tip.
1 c. sifted confectioner’s sugar
2 tsp. milk
2 tsp. light corn syrup
Place sugar and milk in a bowl. Stir until mixed thoroughly. Add corn syrup and mix well. For filling in areas, use thinned icing (add small amounts of light corn syrup until desired consistency is reached).
I tint the icing to the desired color with Wilton color paste.
The best situation for roll out cookies is to never let the butter your using get warm at all. Use a pastry cutter to cut in the butter. Do the refridgeration after the mixing by rolling into a log and wrapping in plastic. After the refridgeration remove only what you need to work with to roll and cut each section and get them right into an appropriate temp oven. This will keep your shape. Make sure your receipe is for roll out sugar cookies and not drop sugar cookies as the ratios are a little different. As for decorations not "sticking" you will have roll offs make sure you use parchment. Sticking with sugar sprinkles is usually the quickest way to not have too much come off before they cook and most will usually stick in the cooking process as the dough softens before it becomes crisp. There will always be a little extra that comes off if you put alot on. As for frosting there are several types if your looking for a hard top use a royal icing recipe, if your looking for soft frosting use a thickened butter cream and add alot of sprinkles on top or glitter sugar to protect them. Or you could go simple and get the wilton "paint" and use a paint brush. Or you could go real simple and make drop sugar cookies with red and green sugar and be done with it. Remember most people would rather rave about how good it tastes then how good it looks.
ok-I didn't read replies below. And I have to LOL that you put the cookie cutters in the oven. Please forgive me - and I seriously mean no disrepect - but I've never heard something so funny!
Look online for a sugar cookie cut out recipe. Cooks Illustrated comes to mind. I have a fabulous family recipe but its at home! You're dough MUST be cool. I put each batch of dough in the fridge for 24 hours before making the cookies. When ready to make the cookies, take the dough out of the fridge I let it warm up just a tad, just enough to roll out the dough without it breaking.
I only use Wilton metal cookie cutters.
My family recipe for icing is this: Powdered sugar, a little half and half and melted butter (that's been cooled down), and almond extract (a little goes a LONG way so taste as you go) whisked together. It should be thick enough to not slide off the cookie. I would look for a tutorial online because its too hard to explain on this. Annies-eats.com has a tutorial. Because one thing you need to do is outline the cookies with a "thicker" frosting and then "flood" them with frosting once the outline is dried. Don't use those tubes of icing!
Making sugar cookie cut outs require A LOT of tools but once done properly can taste so wonderful!
Oh, and you only ice them once cooled and out of the oven! And once you ice the cookies you can put on sprinkles. Before it dries of course.
Good luck!
There is no rule that says Christmas cookies have to be sugar cookies....my sisters and I make several different kinds of cookies. Bar cookies would be easy - just make sure to cut them before you freeze them. Another recipe we do is marshmallow wreaths- like rice krispie bars but instead of rice krispies, we do corn flakes, and put green food coloring in the marshmallow mixture before we add the corn flakes. Take a buttered 1/4 cup measure and scoop out some (loosely - not packed) and then put on wax paper. Sprinkle red sprinkles on them and let cool. If you are really motivated, you can 'sculpt' the 1/4 cup mound into a wreath shape (put fingers in middle and separate a little). Be sure to butter your hands or it will stick.
My tried and true fix for this is to go to GFS or one of those food service type places. Get the frozen sugar cookies. they are already cut into the shapes. you just pop them on to the baking sheet and cook 8-12 mins. out they come perfect every time. also get the big container of icing. it is perfect each time. then just sprinkle on some sprinkles and your good to go. no muss no fuss. thats the easiest for huge amounts of cookies. I haven't messed with cookie cutters in years. way more stress than the fun they are supposed to be.
I also struggle with my cookies keeping their shape when using cookie cutters. Instead I do drop cookies, and then just decorate the top. I use a simple glaze on top that's really yummy but also stays wet long enough to put sprinkles on top of, then when it dries it holds them on there nicely.
Glaze:
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
3 TBL milk
This makes a beautiful white glaze.
Also sometimes I use the juice and zest from 1/2 a lemon if I want to make it a lemon glaze - though it will darken the glaze somewhat.
You could experiment with a little bit of red or green food coloring if you wanted to color the glaze too, then do sparkly sugar on top. Don't use the food coloring in the lemon glaze, it will look weird.
Mix together and spread over the cookies once they're cooled from the oven. While the glaze is still wet, put on your sprinkles. Another cute idea instead of sprinkles is to use crushed peppermint candy (you can crush it in your blender). Happy baking!
Look up Ms Feilds sugar cookies from allrecipes. it has butter, sugar, salt an egg flour and vanilla.
Make sure your dough is chilled. I worked for a bakery and we would freeze she shapes once thay were on the sheet pans.
When iciing, you can always put decorative sugar on the cookie before you bake them.
you can out line the cookie with icing in a piping bag. Royal icing works great. it is the kind that dries hard
You need to make your cookie dough from scratch - don't buy the stuff in the tubes at the store - they won't hold their shape. You can put the sprinkles on ahead of time - then you don't have to frost.
Yes, you roll out the dough, cut the shapes and transfer to a great cookie sheet or baking stone from Pampered Chef and then bake
I have a great cookie and frosting recipe from wilton - email me and I will send it to you. The cookie recipe does not have to be refrigerated - at least this recipe. The icing recipe is powdered sugar, milk and corn syrup. It dries to a hard, glossy finish.
You have received a lot of great guidance here so I won't repeat what has already been said. One tip with the icing: if you use a simple powdered sugar buttercream you can make pretty cookies by piping it back and forth on an angle. You don't need any fancy equipment. Just take a plastic sandwich bag or quart bag and cut a little tiny tip off one corner. Put your frosting in the bag--about a half cup's worth--and then twist the top of the bag so the frosting is sealed in. Then squeeze gently while moving back and forth on an angle over the top of your cookie. You can practice first on some wax paper. Adding sugar sprinkles is a nice finishing touch to but do this while the icing is still soft. Best of luck to you! Baking and decorating, like anything, takes practice. But hang in there. You are on your way! :-)
There are a million different recipes for sugar cookies you cut with cookie cutters so Im sure you will find one you like. As for the decorations falling off, I think you need to understand that the frosting wil dry in a matter of minutes after you spred it on the cookies and then nothing will stick. The trick is to frost the cookies one at a time, and sprinkle or place the decorations right then while the surface of the frosting is still soft and wet. I use powdered sugar and a tiny bit of water and a few drops of food coloring for mine. I mix it so its thin enough in a bowl or cup to not hold its shape but not watery. I scoop it up with a knife and spred on the cookie and then holding the cookie over a bowl I sprinkle on the little candies or colored sugar or dots that Im using. The ones that miss the cookie fall into the bowl and can be used on other cookies or even poured back into the little container and saved. Less mess this way too. Right now I am making some Christmas treats using pretzels. I melted white chocolate chips in a small bowl in the microwave. Heat 30 seconds, stir, heat 30 seconds, stir, heat 30 seconds, stir,, Should be melted now. Creamy and hot so be careful, but with the back of a spoon I spred on the pretzel (any shape pretzel works) or dip half the pretzel into the melted white chocolate chips, and then sprinkle with crushed candy cane bits. Set on a lightly greased cookie sheet to cool and harden. OHMAN ar they good! You can crush the candy cane in a small ziplock bag by smacking them with a wooden spoon until small bits and powder. Put it in a bowl for easy sprinkling. Just frost the pretzel and then sprinkle with a finger ful of the bits. Yum! Im sure you will get the feel for cookies after all the advice here. If its hard to get a good batch baked, dont feel guilty if you go buy store bought cookies and decorate them at home. Youre doing a good thing by helping in your communittee and everyone will love what you bring. Merry Christmas!
My one thought is that you are not using All-purpose flour and maybe using self-rising? If you use self rising flout that might make them puff up as you described.
If you live near a JoAnn Fabrics and Craft store, look up the class schedule and see if a Wilton Cookie Blossom class is being offered. In one two-hour session, you will learn to make beautifully decorated sugar cookies. I know this because I'm one of the instructors.
Also, your sugar cookie recipe sounds bad. Sugar cookies shouldnt spread or puff up much when you bake them. I hope you figure things out. Baking Christmas cookies with the family should be a wonderful experience!
are you chilling your dough before you roll them out. the dough rises before it is cooked and then it keeps on rising. You want to hinder that process. So keep your dough cold. Do NOT put your cookie cutters in the oven. You can decorate with colored sugar crystals before you bake. It is pretty. but then you probably would not add icing. You need a wet icing like royal icing. Check out the blog "sweet adventures of sugar belle" she is an amazing cookie ARTIST and has loads of tips and best practices.
Chilling the dough a few hours before you bake it helps them hold shape. You may also need to try a new recipe. Allrecipes has reviews that are helpful when choosing what you need. Royal icing is what most people decorate with. You can thin it out to "flow" onto the cookies after you have made borders. The icing also gets rather hard (not too hard), so your cookies don't get smudged as easily. If you add sprinkles before the icing hardens, they will stay on the cookie. It shouldn't matter what sprinkles you use.
1. The problem is with your dough. Most likely the flour to shortening or butter ratio is off. Don't use oil in place of shortening or butter (just in case you did). You can even chill the dough for 30 min or so before you roll it out. Chill, roll it out, cookie cut, stick in the oven.
2. I use regular sprinkles..don't let the frosting dry on the cookies before you sprinkle. You probably need to add more milk to the frosting.
3. Do not decorate the cookies before you bake them. But DO wait until they're cool before you decorate.
4. My frosting consists of powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and a little butter. I've never had a problem with the sprinkles falling off. Try to make it yourself instead of the stuff in a tube..it will taste much better!
Hope I helped, good luck!
