Christmas and New Year cookies are a popular treat in many countries. Everyone knows ginger figures in the form of little men or snowflakes, however, there are many different recipes. Below are the most interesting options.
How to make Christmas cookies?
The simplest recipe for this treat is suitable even for inexperienced housewives. If you cut out classic Christmas and New Year figures from dough or want to make individual sweets for a theme holiday, this easy cookie recipe is all you need. If you want, make the dough for New Year's cookies earlier and keep it in the refrigerator or freeze until you are ready to use it. Unlike many sweets that become tasteless every other day, these cookies remain fresh for up to 4 days in a closed container, even with icing. Therefore, they are perfect as a gift.
To make such a dessert, you need:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour or more as needed;
- 1 1/4 tablespoons of tea baking powder;
- a quarter of a spoon of tea salt;
- 14 tablespoons tablespoons unsalted butter, softened;
- three quarters of a glass of granulated sugar;
- 1 large egg;
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla tea extract.
How to do it?
This delicious homemade cookie is prepared as follows. Combine the flour, salt and baking powder in the middle bowl, mix and break any pieces, set aside.
Put the butter in a separate bowl and beat with a mixer at high speed until the cream consistency for about 1 minute. In the process of whipping, gradually add sugar and mix until the butter becomes lighter.
Stir the egg and vanilla in a separate bowl. Set the mixer to medium speed and beat for about 30 seconds. Then turn on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture and stir for about a minute.
Put the dough on a piece of plastic film and smooth it into a 2.5 cm thick disc. Wrap tightly and cool until it becomes smooth enough. It will take approximately 2 hours, but you can store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
How to bake this treat?
When you are ready to bake Christmas cookies, preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Sprinkle a handful of flour onto the work surface. Expand the dough and place it on it, roll the dough to a thickness of 5-7 mm. Use cookie cutters to cut out the shapes you need. Remove scraps of dough and set them aside. Using a culinary spatula, transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 1.5 cm between them. Fold the scraps into a flat disk, wrap it in spare plastic and cool.
It is worth noting that you can cook this dessert without using special molds or cutters. If necessary, you can cut a layer of dough into circles using the walls of a glass or cup, or use any improvised item.
Place both baking sheets in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. After turning them back and forth and continue baking, until the edges of the cookies begin to brown. Then remove the baking sheets from the oven and leave the cookies on them for 1 minute. Using a spatula, transfer the products to the rack and let them cool completely. Cool the baking sheets, leaving the parchment, then repeat rolling, cutting and baking pieces of dough. Decorate as desired.
Peanut Butter Cookies
Another interesting recipe for New Year's cookies involves the use of peanut butter. A complete list of ingredients for it is as follows:
- half a glass of softened oil;
- half a glass of granulated sugar;
- half a glass of brown sugar;
- one third cup peanut butter;
- 1 egg
- vanilla extract - one and a half tablespoons;
- 1 3/4 cup flour;
- teaspoon of baking soda;
- small chocolate or candy figures.
How to cook it?
This shortbread cookie is very simple to make. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Place a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
In a deep bowl, combine softened butter with two kinds of sugar. Then add peanut butter, egg and vanilla extract. Mix all these ingredients with flour and baking soda. Knead the dough with a uniform texture. Using a tablespoon, place small balls of dough on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.
Cool the items slightly for 5 minutes, then place the chocolate figure on top of each cookie, then let the dessert cool completely.
Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
There are hundreds of recipes for New Year's cookies, which have remained popular for many years, and products from two halves with a filling are among them. The dough for them is kneaded instantly, and they are baked quickly. In addition, this recipe is easily adaptable. Choose beautiful Christmas cookie cutters and use the filling to make sandwiches. For a basic recipe, you need the following:
For cookies:
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour;
- 2 teaspoons instant coffee;
- 1/4 tablespoon of tea salt;
- 3/4 cup softened butter;
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar;
- 1 large egg;
- teaspoon vanilla extract;
- 3/4 cup natural cocoa powder.
Cooking Cookies
In a medium bowl, beat flour, instant coffee, and salt. Set aside.
In a bowl of an electric mixer, using a spatula-shaped nozzle, beat the oil at medium speed until splendid, about 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar and beat until light and airy for about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to a minimum and add the egg, mix well. Put vanilla extract. Pour cocoa powder gradually, mix until smooth. Clean the sides of the bowl. Add the flour mixture in three stages, each time whisking at low speed. Place the dough on the desktop and divide it into two parts. Form each into a disk, wrap in plastic film and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Place the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 160 degrees. Lay out two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Place one piece of dough on a surface lightly sprinkled with flour. Roll to a thickness of not more than 5 mm. Using a cookie cutter, cut as many figures as possible and place them on the prepared baking sheets, at a distance of about one and a half cm from each other. Collect the scraps, re-roll the dough and cut out additional cookies. Repeat the same with the second part of the test.
Bake Christmas homemade cookies one baking sheet at a time for 7-10 minutes, or until their top is dry. At the same time, products should remain soft. Transfer cookies to a rack and refrigerate completely.
White Chocolate Filling
To make a sandwich cookie filler, you need:
- 100 grams of good quality sliced white chocolate;
- 4 tablespoons softened butter;
- 1 cup confectionery sugar;
- a pinch of salt;
- a quarter teaspoon of vanilla tea extract.
In a small bowl, melt the white chocolate in the microwave at 30-second intervals and 50% power until it becomes liquid. Stir it between heatings. Set it aside to cool slightly.
In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer or a wooden spoon, mix chilled white chocolate and butter. Add sugar, salt and vanilla and continue to mix until smooth. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 days. Before filling cookies, bring the mixture to room temperature.
How to collect dessert?
Christmas baking cookies for this recipe ends like this. Put about 3/4 teaspoon of the filling in the center of one cookie. Cover with one more and squeeze them lightly until the cream is evenly distributed. Repeat the same with the remaining cookies. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Snowflake cookies
These cute little cookies are the perfect way to start the festive baking season. Even if the weather is not snowy, your kitchen will have many cute snowflakes. To prepare such a treat, you will need special molds and a culinary press cylinder.
You can also be creative by making this Christmas cookie with icing or by applying molten sweets to it. For this festive sweet you need:
- 3.5 cups of universal flour;
- 1 teaspoon baking powder;
- 1.5 cups of oil (softened);
- 1 cup granulated sugar;
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons of milk;
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract;
- half a teaspoon of tea almond extract, peppermint, or any flavor of your choice.
How to bake crispy snowflakes?
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Combine flour and baking powder in a deep bowl and set aside.
In a separate bowl, mix the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat until the mixture is light and airy. Add egg, milk and flavor extracts. While stirring slowly, add the flour mixture gradually. Beat gently until all the flour is used and the dough is smooth. Fill it with the barrel of the press cylinder and set the mold. Squeeze snowflakes onto a baking sheet.
Bake New Year's cookies for 9-11 minutes or until its edges turn golden brown. Cool the dessert for a couple of minutes on a baking sheet, then carefully transfer to a cooling rack.
Bake these products on aluminum or stainless steel baking sheets that are not coated with a non-stick coating. Do not use parchment paper or silicone liners. Cookies should easily come off the mold. You can decorate completely cooled products as you wish. As noted above, you can make cookies with icing by making it from a convenience store or yourself from icing sugar. You can also use coconut flakes or colored sugar sprinkles.
Gingerbread men
Classic Christmas gingerbread cookies in the form of men and various other figures are usually crispy on the outside and soft inside. In addition, it has a pleasant sweet taste and a sharp aroma of spices. The only drawback of this recipe is that the dough should cool overnight, so you need to plan your baking in advance. To make ginger figurines you need the following:
- 1 cup of sugar;
- half a glass of molasses;
- half a glass of water;
- a tablespoon of ground ginger;
- 2 tablespoons tea cinnamon;
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves ground;
- 1 cup butter unsalted butter, softened;
- 4 cups flour;
- one and a half teaspoons of baking soda;
- a quarter of a spoon of tea salt.
How to make gingerbread cookie?
In a large pan, combine sugar, molasses, water, ginger, cinnamon and cloves. Bring the mixture to a boil and mix until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and add oil. Stir occasionally until the butter melts and combines with the rest of the ingredients. Let the mixture cool for 15 minutes.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the liquid mixture with a wooden spoon. Mix until fully combined.
Place the dough in a large zipped bag and flatten evenly into one thin sheet. Refrigerate overnight. Next, Christmas cookies with ginger are prepared like this.
The next day, preheat the oven to 180 degrees and cover two baking sheets with parchment paper. Prepare a clean, flat surface and sprinkle lightly with flour. When working with 1/4 of the dough at a time, roll it into a sheet up to 7 mm thick, adding flour if necessary. Use the cookie cutter to cut out the desired shapes (you can make both classic men and cookie dogs on the New Year's table). Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on cooling racks before applying glaze.
How to glaze gingerbread cookies?
Above described in detail how to cook Christmas cookies (Christmas trees, little men, dogs, and so on). However, such products will not look beautiful without decoration. It is advisable to cover ginger figures with glaze and decorate with small details. In this case, the use of multi-colored food colors is a good idea. So, for the New Year glaze you will need:
- 1 tablespoon meringue, powdered;
- 2 cups icing sugar;
- 4-5 tablespoons of table water;
- red and green food color, preferably.
Place the ingredients in the mixer bowl. Using a spatula, beat the mixture until it becomes smooth and matte. It takes about 8 minutes. Serve and add colorant as needed. Now you can start decorating the cooled cookies. You can draw clothing or face details on gingerbread men.
Lazy cookies
Not everyone knows how to cope well with baking, but everyone wants to treat themselves to something delicious for the holiday. This simple Christmas cookie is a unique opportunity to prepare a quick and fragrant dessert. You can make it from any store dough or from the remnants of the dough that you prepared for pies or cake.
So you need the following:
- 1 cup of any dough, possibly mixed;
- 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar;
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon.
How to cook it?
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Lay out a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a floury surface, roll your dough into a thin rectangle. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Starting at the short end, start folding until you get a tightly rolled roll. Cut into slices 2-3 centimeters wide. Put on prepared pan.
Bake lazy cookies for 8-10 minutes until a brown crust appears. Leave the product on the baking sheet for several minutes before transferring it to the rack until it cools completely.
If you do not have cinnamon, you can use any other filling. So, you can mix poppy with sugar or grease the dough with jam or boiled condensed milk.