Notice: I’m an affiliate for Amazon as well as other companies. Any links in this article may be affiliate links. I always appreciate it if you purchase something using my affiliate links. Doing so helps me to raise a little extra money that pays for the costs of running this site. And it allows me to continue bringing you quality content, all without costing you a thing! Thanks!
I am a big Christmas lover! I love it so much that I tell people I’m part elf. Once November hits, the Christmas music starts in my house and by mid-November, my halls are decked and full of holiday spirit. Of course, you can’t have holidays without special holiday foods! What are the holidays without cookies? Making a batch of these frosted cutout cookies is a perfect way to connect to the Christmas spirit. They are classic Christmas!
When I was growing up, one thing I looked forward to every year during the holiday season was making Christmas cookies with my Mom. To be fair, I didn’t always like making the dough. And I hated waiting an hour for the finished dough to chill before we rolled them out. But I loved using the cookie cutters to cut out the cookies. And I really loved decorating them after they had been baked and cooled.
The beautiful thing about this recipe for cutout cookies is that you can make these cookies anytime throughout the year. I have cookie cutters for all different holidays. And I even have a few that aren’t for any occasion at all. These cookies definitely have the yum factor. But making a batch with someone you care about can make this recipe even more special.
What are cutout cookies without the icing?
Don’t forget to top off these cookies with our icing recipe which you will find below. When it comes to decorating, the sky is the limit! You can get fancy with the icing alone, using different colors of icing in piping bags like in the picture. Or you can use a solid color of icing and decorate with sprinkles, colored sugar, or my personal favorite…red hot cinnamon candies! I almost always use those candies because they were my mom’s favorite as well. To me, one taste of the cookies with those cinnamon candies is Christmas!
I found an organic shortening that I use for this recipe. It is non-hydrogenated and works well! And I usually have this organic powdered sugar from Whole Foods that I use for the icing. I have used gluten-free flour with this recipe and the cookies turned out perfectly!
We’ve been making these cookies for decades in my family. And no matter where I bring them, they are always a hit! I usually do some with the cinnamon red hots candies and some without for the non-cinnamon lovers. Let’s be honest…these aren’t going to be the healthiest foods you can eat. But it’s okay to have them on occasion, and in moderation!
Make a batch and bring some to your neighbors, co-workers, friends, or family! They can be customized for any time of the year!
Frosted Christmas Cutout Cookies
Equipment
- 1 Cookie sheet
- Cookie cutters
Ingredients
- 3 cups whole wheat all-purpose flour
- 1 cup organic shortening
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 dash nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F
- In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour and shortening. Combine with a pastry blender.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Mix well.
- Add the flour and shortening mixture to the other ingredients in the large mixing bowl and mix well.
- Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator so the dough can chill for an hour.
- Cover your countertop with flour and roll out some dough onto the counter on top of the flour. Cut out your cookies and place them on a cookie sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cook cookies on a cooling rack fully before icing and decorating them.
Notes
Simple Icing for Cutout Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter softened
- 1 pound powdered sugar
- vanilla
- milk
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the powdered sugar and softened butter.
- Add a dash of vanilla
- Pour in just a little milk and mix. You will know if you need to add more milk if it does not saturate the powdered sugar. Add small amounts of milk at a time and stir until you get the consistency of icing that you want. Adding too much milk will give you a runny icing that won't want to stay on the cookie.
