Christmas Cookies - Photo Post

Just a quick photo post for the holiday! One of my favorite things to do for Christmas is to make festive cookies, so I decided to do a fun cookie photoshoot this year!

I made a simple sugar cookie dough (recipe below) and decorated with a variety of things: storebought icing, candy melts, semisweet chocolate, candies, sprinkles, sanding sugar...

Sugar Cookies
recipe from bakebakebake

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

1. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 to 4 minutes). Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until you have a smooth dough.

3. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about one hour or until firm enough to roll.

4. Preheat oven to 350F and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

5. Remove one half of the chilled dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch (1 cm). (Keep turning the dough as you roll, making sure the dough does not stick to the counter.) Cut out desired shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter and transfer cookies to the prepared baking sheet. Place the baking sheets with the unbaked cookies in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes to chill the dough which prevents the cookies from spreading and losing their shape while baking.

6. Bake cookies for about 10 minutes (depending on size) or until they are brown around the edges. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

(Frosted cookies will keep several days in an airtight container. Store between layers of parchment paper or wax paper. Makes about 36 - 4 inch (10 cm) cookies.)

And finally, the spread I made with some friends :)

Merry Christmas!