With this recipe for cut out Christmas cookies, nothing can go wrong: The butter cookies to cut out are an absolute classic and are guaranteed to succeed!
Looking for a good, easy recipe for cut out Christmas cookies? Here it is!
With our cookie dough for butter cookies, the classic Christmas bakery recipe is sure to succeed. Perfect for baking with children or for last-minute baking.
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Taste and Occasion
In my opinion, easy cut out Christmas cookies are extremely underrated. Sure, I too want to bake a few new creations every year. A cookie plate without the sugar Christmas cookies is still missing something…
Many families have well-tried Christmas cookie recipes. This shortbread cookie dough is our classic from grandma. And, with small variations, it has been used for decades for all kinds of varieties (for example, Easter bunny cookies or heart cookies).
No wonder: The easy cookie-cutter basic recipe always works. The result is wonderfully crumbly. The taste is wonderfully buttery. And last but not least, the Christmas cookies look easy and versatile. You can, for example, decorate them with icing and colorful sprinkles, brush them with egg yolk or even just dust them with powdered sugar.
I usually make twice the amount - so the butter cookies last a bit longer 😉 .
Ingredients
If you want to bake fast Christmas cookies, there is no way around a good basic dough. This one can be prepared with cold butter or (like grandma's rascals) as a stirred short pastry with soft butter.
The dough is the perfect base for baking cookie cutters with children. Make sure that only one piece is used at a time for the little ones. The rest of the short pastry stays in the refrigerator for the time being.
How to make the cut out Christmas cookies
The recipe for the Christmas sugar cookies is very simple. First of all, put flour and sugar in a bowl.
Then, add butter in small pieces as well as the egg and knead everything to a short pastry. Form the dough into a large ball and wrap it in foil. Refrigerate it for at least half an hour.
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Cut the dough ball in half (one half back into the fridge) and roll it out on a baking mat or lightly floured work surface. If the cookie dough is still too soft, leave it in the refrigerator for a longer time and/or add some extra flour by the spoonful.
After rolling it out, cut out the cookies and place them on a baking sheet covered with baking paper. Do the same with the second portion of dough. Knead the dough again and again and refrigerate it briefly once more.
Now, brush the cookies with a whisked egg yolk as desired. Bake them for about 10-12 minutes until they become golden yellow, depending on the thickness. Allow the cookies to cool. Then, remove them from the baking sheet and decorate the Christmas cookies as desired with icing, decorative crumbles, etc. (see variations).
If they are stored well cooled in a lockable tin can and in a dry place, the cut out cookies last for about 8 weeks. A little shorter with glaze.
Top Tip
If the cookie dough is not smooth but crumbly, it often helps to either knead further or to rework by hand. Attention: Too long kneading is also not good! If the dough seems too dry overall, you can add a tablespoon of ice water
Directly after the cooling time, the dough ball is still very hard. Let it reach room temperature for a short time and then knead it again briefly. If the dough is crumbly when you roll it out, there may have been too little fat in the dough or too much flour on the worktop. Better use a silicone baking mat or roll out the dough between two layers of foil.
Recipe Card
Best cut-out Christmas cookies
Ingredients
- 250 grams (2 cups) wheat flour
- 90 grams (½ cups) sugar
- 125 grams (0.6 cups) butter
- 1 egg, medium-sized
Instructions
- Put flour and sugar in a bowl. Add the butter in small pieces as well as the egg and knead to a short pastry. Form the dough into a large ball and wrap it in foil and refrigerate for at least half an hour.
- Heat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Cut the dough ball in half (one half back into the fridge) and roll out on a baking mat or lightly floured work surface. Cut out cookies and place on a baking sheet covered with baking paper. Do the same with the second portion of dough. Knead the dough again and again and refrigerate briefly once more.
- Brush the cookies with a whisked egg yolk as desired (see variations). Bake for about 10-12 minutes until golden yellow, depending on the thickness. Allow to cool, remove from baking sheet and decorate as desired with icing, decorative crumbles, etc. (see variations).
Variations
The cookie cutters taste delicious pure. If you want to decorate them additionally, you have many possibilities: Before baking, brush them with a whisked egg yolk and decorate them with (ovenproof) sugar sprinkles as desired. After baking, let them cool down and coat them with icing and sprinkle sugar decoration.
Alternatively, carefully melt white or dark chocolate coating and use it for spreading. Instead of covering the cookies entirely with it, you can also just spread fine chocolate lines on them.
Similar Recipes
Besides this cookie dough for cutting out, I make vanilla croissants, cinnamon stars and classic Scottish shortbread every year. And if it has to be done very quickly, there are the egg-free 3 ingredient biscuits. The traditional German gingerbread is also great.
Nutrition
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About Kathrin & Jan
It's like a little miracle to me every time. Seemingly simple ingredients are made into something that can brighten up your life. Butter, sugar, eggs, and flour melt into an airy biscuit, a fine tart, a juicy cake, or a crispy biscuit. Baking simply makes you happy. Welcome and enjoy our blog!
Kathrin & Jan
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