Frosted Holiday Sugar Cookies Recipes

SOFT FROSTED SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Beat vegetable shortening, white sugar, 1/4 cup milk, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract together in a bowl. Whisk flour, salt, and baking soda in a separate bowl. Slowly beat flour mixture into shortening mixture to make a smooth dough.
• Roll dough out 1/4-inch thick on a floured work surface and cut into shapes. Arrange cookies on baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cookies are firm, about 10 minutes. Let cool.
• Beat butter, confectioners' sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons milk in a bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until frosting is spreadable and slightly fluffy. Frost cooled cookies.

FROSTED SOFT SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer) add the butter, oil, sugars, and beat on medium-high speed until creamed and combined, about 4 minutes.
• Add the egg, extracts, and beat until combined.
• Add the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, and beat on low speed until just combined.
• Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, or your hands, form approximately 20 equal-sized mounds of dough, roll into balls, and flatten about halfway.
• Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 7 days. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.
• Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I use a half-sheet pan and bake 8 cookies per sheet) and bake for about 8 minutes (if your cookies are smaller than mine, reduce baking time) or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center; don't overbake. Cookies firm up as they cool.
• Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 9 to 10 minutes before serving. I let them cool on the baking sheet and don't use a rack. While cookies are cooling, make the frosting.
• To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer) add the butter, sugar, vanilla, optional salt, and beat on medium-low speed until creamy.
• Slowly add the milk or cream, as necessary, to achieve desired frosting consistency.
• Optionally add the food coloring as desired.
• Add a generous dollop of frosting to each cookie and add sprinkles to taste.

FROSTED HOLIDAY SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in vanilla, then beat in egg.
• Add flour mixture and beat until just combined. Divide the dough in half, pat into flat rectangles, wrap in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours.
• Divide each dough parcel in half, and roll out to 1/8-inch thickness between two sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining dough. Chill until firm, about 20 minutes.
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line four cookie sheets with parchment paper, sprinkling with a little flour if the dough seems sticky. Cut out shapes from the rolled and chilled dough and place on prepared sheets 1-inch apart. Bake until golden around the edges, 8 to 13 minutes. Let cool.
• Meanwhile, prepare the royal icing: in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugar, egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt. Whisk until stiff and glossy.
• To tint the frosting, divide into small bowls. Cover the ones you aren't using with plastic wrap; the frosting dries out very quickly. Use a rubber spatula to stir in desired food coloring. Though not necessary, it makes life easier if you make two versions of each color - one that is thick to pipe the outline on the cookie, and one that is thinned out slightly with a little water to flood the outline. Transfer frosting to piping bags fitted with very small round tips (sizes 1 to 2 work best).
• Pipe frosting onto cooled cookies and let set, at least 2 hours. Or use a pastry of paint brush to decorate cookies with the frosting.