Description
Slice and Bake Christmas Cookies are a festive and fun baking project perfect for the holiday season. This recipe features a soft, buttery dough that can be colored and shaped into vibrant, stacked designs before being sliced and baked to golden perfection. These cookies are easy to customize with your favorite holiday colors and shapes, making them a delightful treat for sharing with family and friends.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 4 cups (480 grams) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup (90 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) white sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
Additional
- Gel food coloring (assorted colors as desired)
Instructions
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In another large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, confectioners’ sugar, and white sugar with a hand mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add Vanilla and Eggs: Add the vanilla extract and eggs to the butter and sugar mixture, then beat again until the mixture is fully combined and smooth.
- Make the Dough: Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients and beat until a soft dough forms. The dough should feel soft but not sticky.
- Divide and Chill Dough: Wrap and refrigerate two-thirds of the plain dough. Divide the remaining one-third into as many portions as colors you want to use (e.g., green, brown, blue).
- Color the Dough: Add gel food coloring to each portion of dough. Mix thoroughly using a hand mixer or knead by hand while wearing gloves. Wrap each colored dough portion in plastic cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Shape and Freeze Dough Stacks: Remove colored dough from the fridge and roll each color to about 1/2 inch thick. Use mini cookie cutters to cut out small shapes, then stack identical shapes into tall, firm stacks. Freeze these stacks for at least 4 hours to harden.
- Soften Plain Dough: After about 3 hours of freezing, remove the plain dough from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature until softened, about 1 hour.
- Wrap Colored Stacks with Plain Dough: Remove frozen shape stacks from the freezer. Press the softened plain dough around each stack to form a log, ensuring the colored shapes run through the center. For intricate shapes, press small bits of plain dough into crevices before wrapping completely.
- Smooth and Freeze Logs: Roll the logs gently between your hands until smooth, round, and even. Wrap tightly with plastic cling wrap and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Prepare for Baking: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Slice Cookies: Remove frozen logs from the freezer and let them sit for about 20 minutes to soften slightly. Using a sharp knife, slice the logs into 1/4-inch thick cookies.
- Bake: Place cookie slices on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 9-10 minutes or until the cookies are set and very lightly golden at the edges. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Notes
- Gel food coloring works best for vibrant colors without altering dough consistency.
- Wearing gloves while coloring dough prevents your hands from staining.
- Freezing the dough stacks and logs solidifies the shapes, making slicing easier and more precise.
- Store baked cookies in an airtight container to maintain freshness.
- If stacking shapes, press smaller bits of plain dough into detailed areas to keep the log intact.
