Aunt Zula's Christmas Cutouts are a must-have during the holiday season. These delicious and buttery cookies are perfect for decorating with festive icing and sprinkles. It's a fun activity for the whole family and the end result is a plate full of beautiful and tasty holiday treats.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Assorted food coloring
- Assorted sprinkles and icing for decorating
Directions
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mixing well after each addition.
- Divide the dough into four equal portions.
- Wrap each portion in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Remove one portion of dough from the refrigerator and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4-inch thickness.
- Use cookie cutters in various festive shapes to cut out cookies from the rolled dough.
- Carefully transfer the cookies to baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
- Repeat the rolling and cutting process with the remaining portions of dough.
- Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.
- Once the cookies are completely cooled, prepare the icing by mixing powdered sugar with a little water or milk to achieve a thick but pourable consistency.
- Divide the icing into separate bowls and add food coloring to create different colors.
- Decorate the cooled cookies with the colored icing and top with assorted sprinkles.
- Let the icing set before storing the cookies in an airtight container.
