Cutout Christmas Cookies
Here, cutout cookie expert extraordinaire Patti Paige—cookbook author, owner of a custom bakery in New York City, and creator of the Instagram account @bakedideas—shares her recipe for her favorite sugar cookies from her book You Can’t Judge a Cookie by Its Cutter. We agree with her that not only are these cookies delicious, but the dough is also super-easy to work with and sturdy enough to hold up to even the most intricate cookie cutters. Patti suggests using a rolling pin with adjustable silicone rings on the ends to get your dough to a perfectly uniform 1/4-inch (6-mm) thickness, but we’ve also used a regular rolling pin with great results. She likes to use pasteurized egg whites in her royal icing. You can usually find them in pint cartons in the refrigerated section of grocery stores.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups plus 2 Tbs. (340 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 12 Tbs. (1 1/2 sticks) (6 oz./180 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup plus 2 Tbs. (225 g) sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
For the royal icing:
- 5 1/2 cups (562 g) sifted confectioners' sugar
- 7 Tbs. pasteurized egg whites
- 1/2 tsp. lemon juice (optional)
Directions
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the butter and sugar and mix on medium speed until thoroughly combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and add the egg and vanilla, mixing until thoroughly combined, about 40 seconds. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed and beating just until the dry ingredients are incorporated.
Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Cut 6 sheets of parchment paper, each about 13 by 18 inches (33 by 45 cm).
Place one piece of the dough between two sheets of the parchment. Using a rolling pin fitted with 1/4-inch (6-mm) silicone rings, set the rolling pin in the center of the dough and roll up and away from your body. Pick up the rolling pin, place it back in the center, and roll down toward your body. Repeat rolling in this manner, rotating the whole parchment paper–dough sandwich. Roll until the rings on the pin hit the counter, at which point you will have a rectangle or circle of dough that is 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick.
Slide the whole package onto a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Roll the remaining dough in the same manner, then set it directly on top of the previous package. If you are not planning to bake the cookies the same day you roll out the dough, wrap the whole stack—the layers or parchment and doughs and baking sheet—in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C).
Remove 1 piece of dough from the refrigerator at a time. Flip it over and loosen the top piece of parchment until it comes completely away from the dough, then set it back on top of the dough. This will prevent your cutout cookies from sticking to the parchment. Flip the whole thing back over and remove the top pieces of parchment altogether.
Cut out shapes from the dough as desired, placing the cutter as close to the edge of the dough as possible and pressing firmly to cut through the dough. Lift the shape out of the dough, set it on the baking sheet, and push the dough out by pushing your index finger around the edge, being careful with the intricate parts. If the design is super-intricate, you may want to dip the cutter into flour first.
Gather up the scraps and press them together into a disc. Reroll them and cut out as above if there is enough. If not, add them to the next batch.
Bake the cookies until the edges begin to brown slightly, 9 to 15 minutes, depending on the size. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely before decorating.
To make the icing, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the confectioners' sugar and egg whites. Beat on low until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add the lemon juice. With the mixer on medium speed, beat until thick, soft peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Decorate the cooled cookies as desired with the icing. Makes about 24 cookies.
Recipe by Patti Paige, author of You Can’t Judge a Cookie by Its Cutter and creator of the Instagram account @bakedideas
