Photo credit: © Eatwell101.comI guess that many of you will be enjoying a pre-Christmas baking marathon over the next weekends. Just imagine the smell of gingerbread and plates of hot cookies from the oven around the house… But who could let Christmas go by without trying their hands on some decorated sugar cookies? Crisp and deliciously flavored with spices, these cookies are very easy to do. It takes time and patience for the decorating, but the results are so worth it. Just give them a try, and impress family and friends!
Ingredients list for Christmas Cookies
- 2 1/2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (125g) honey
- 3 1/2 oz (100g) butter
- 2/5 cup (85g) brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 coffeespoon rum
- 2 pinches of salt
For the royal icing:
- 4 cups (520g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons meringue powder
- 5 tablespoon water
Directions
1. In a bowl, combine butter, sugar and mix well to obtain a smooth paste. Add honey, lemon zest and rum.
2. Put everything in a blender and mix for 5 minutes.
3. Mix all other ingredients together : zest, spices, baking powder, salt and add them to the butter mixture.
4. Then stir in the flour little by little. You should get a quite soft dough. Wrap into plastic and put in the fridge for 2 hours.
5. Preheat your oven to 360°F (180°C).
6. Roll out the dough and cut out shapes with several different cookie cutter shapes.
7. Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
8. Let the cookies cool on a rack.
The icing:
1. Combine the ingredients and mix on low spend for 10 minutes. Add food coloring if you want.
2. Keep in an air-tight container to prevent from hardening. Use a pastry bag to create nice decorations on the cookies.
