Note: We’re celebrating the season with a special #Christmas2020 holiday cookie countdown! We’re offering a wide variety of take-and-bake cookies plus special ready-to-eat breads via the San Juan Islands Food Hub this holiday season. Create the perfect cookie tray at home or send them to friends and family! If you miss the Food Hub deadline to order, call us directly at (360) 378-3587 to place orders until December 18 for pickup December 21-26 or order by December 25 for pickup December 28-January 2.
There’s nothing wrong with tradition, but it’s always nice to change things up a bit from time to time. And with its added chocolate, this recipe is not just your average sugar cookie, but you still get to cut them into holiday shapes and decorate them with royal icing!
These cookies are great to make with little helpers. They can help mix the ingredients, cut out the shapes, and – of course – decorate. Make sure to pull out the sprinkles, and maybe even some food coloring to add pops of color to your icing. Remember to leave out a Christmas cookie platter for Santa. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind nibbling on a few of these with a tall glass of cold milk the night before Christmas.
Dough Ingredients
3 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/4 c softened butter
1 1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 c unsweetened cocoa powder
Icing Ingredients
1 c confection sugar
2 Tbsp water or milk
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until incorporated. This will ensure you have a butter and sugar mixture that stays together rather than forming curdles.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt. Add flour-cocoa mixture to the wet ingredients until all your ingredients come together and it forms a ball. If your dough seems sticky, add an additional 1/4 cup of flour. There is no need to refrigerate this dough prior to rolling it out. You can refrigerate it overnight if needed.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thick. Cut out shapes, gather the remaining dough into a ball, reroll, and repeat until all dough is used.
5. Place cookies onto prepared baking sheets. It may be easier to transfer them using a spatula. Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely before decorating.
6. To make the icing, whisk together confectioners sugar and water until it forms a thick consistency the icing is lump-free. Pull out any additional decorating supplies and have fun!
