‘Tis the season to be jolly…and really, what makes you jollier than Homemade Christmas Cookies. Just ask Santa!
This year I knew I wanted to do a Tiny Kitchen Big Taste episode about making and decorating Homemade Christmas Cookies. After all, I’ll be visiting the best niece and nephew an uncle could ask for this Christmas and so I needed to polish up my cookie making skills anyway.
Now, if you Subscribe to the Tiny Kitchen Big Taste YouTube Channel…first, THANK YOU! (If you don’t, you can here: SUBSCRIBE …and THANK YOU!) …second, you know that about 90% of the dishes I make are me cooking rather than baking. It’s not that I don’t bake or don’t like baking. I love baking, but baking is precise…and well…you actually have to follow directions and measurements. Case in point: If you don’t, you’re Soufflé will be flat. Needless to say, I’m one who colors outside the lines in the kitchen so following recipe directions is not my strong suit.
Because of this, I knew I needed to bring in a top-notch baker and cookie decorator for this episode. One person immediately came to mind: Natalie Korzon. I’ve known Natalie for years and we randomly ran into each other about a year ago in Hollywood. At that time, I had just started shooting for Tiny Kitchen Big Taste, but we hadn’t actually launched an episode yet. Nonetheless, Natalie and I talked about collaborating on making cookies because when it comes to holiday cookies, she’s got some mad skills!! Just check out these numbers:
Natalie Korzon Creations!
Needless to say, I was thrilled that we were able to coordinate schedules to make it happen this year!
What I learned from shooting this episode with Natalie is that there is one rule to good cookie baking and decorating:
_______________________________________________________
The One Rule:
Have FUN!
_______________________________________________________
Truthfully, it’s hard not to have fun when you’re baking and decorating cookies. But this recipe is so accessible and straightforward that you can’t help but enjoy yourself. And it’s great for the kids too!
Now I love me some sugar cookies. And I love me some shortbread. The cool thing about this recipe is that it’s the best of both worlds. The texture is a mix between a hint of chewy sugar cookies and the satisfying and buttery crunch of shortbread. But don’t worry, the butter is not overpowering as it can be in some shortbread recipes.
What sets this recipe apart, though, are the great decorating techniques that Natalie brought that takes traditional cookie decorating to the next level…and all with the help of a little bitty toothpick.
The cool thing is that you can pick whatever colors that you want for your cookies. So whether you want to make the traditional Christmas red and green or get a little extra fancy and whip up some yellow (for a star, perhaps) and blue (for snowflakes) to go along with it, it’s up to you. This means that these cookies are great for any holiday, whether the autumn colors of Thanksgiving, the pastel colors of Easter, the red colors of Valentine’s day or the blue colors of Hanukkah. Just get whatever cookie cutters you need to represent the holiday you’re baking for and you’ll be set!
I can’t wait to see some of the pictures that y’all take of the cookies that you make. I have no doubt that you’ll have as much fun as Natalie and I did making ours.
Speaking of Natalie, you can keep up with her adventures through her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/NatalieRKorzon
Hopefully, we’ll have Natalie back in the Tiny Kitchen soon! Until then, we want to wish your family a wonderful holiday season and we hope that you might make these cookies part of your celebration!
Merry Christmas Cookies
Ingredients
SO WHAT YOU'RE GONNA NEED IS:
For the Cookies:
- 2 1/2 cups Flour
- 3/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Butter
- 3/4 cup Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 Eggs (1 Egg and 1 Yolk)
For the Royal Icing:
- 3 Tablespoon Meringue Powder
- 4 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 5 Tablespoons Water
For Decorating,
Instructions
The Cookies:
- In medium mixing bowl, combine Flour, Baking Powder and Salt (the Dry Ingredients). Mix.
- Cut cold Butter in to 1/2 inch cubes.
- In large mixing bowl, combine Butter and Sugar. Cream together with Hand Mixer for about 5 minutes until thoroughly mixed and creamy.
- Add Egg, Egg Yolk and Vanilla. Mix for an additional minute.
- Slowly add Dry Ingredients until thoroughly mixed. Wrap in Plastic Wrap and place in refrigerator until chilled.
- Roll out chilled dough on Floured surface.
- Using Cookie Cutters, cut out your favorite shapes. Bake at 375F for 5-7 minutes or until lightly golden Brown.
For the Royal Icing:
- Combine Powdered Sugar and Meringue Powder in Mixing Bowl.
- Slowly add water until Mixture is the consistency of frosting.
- Separate out 1/2 cups of the icing into two small bowls. Set the extra icing aside.
- Using Food Coloring, color the in the two small mixing to the desired color. Place in Pastry bags and snip off the tip, creating a 1/8 inch bead.
- To the extra icing you set aside, add additional water slowly until it reaches the consistency of maple syrup.
Decorate:
- Outline completely cooled Cookie with a bead of the colored Icing.
- Fill (aka flood) the colored border with the white icing. Spread around using the back of a spoon
- Decorate as desired with colored icing. You can use a toothpick to create designs. See video above.)
- Decorate with decorative colored sugars as desired.
Leave a Reply