Description
Sweet memories of Christmas come alive with sour cream cut-out christmas cookies, a nostalgic treat that whispers holiday cheer. Delicate, buttery, and perfectly spiced, these cookies invite festive joy onto your plate and into cherished family moments.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
Liquid and Binding Ingredients:
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Leavening and Seasoning Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Royal Icing Ingredients:
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 23 tablespoons meringue powder
- 46 tablespoons water (adjust for consistency)
- Food coloring (optional)
Decorations:
- Holiday sprinkles
- Colored sugars
- Edible glitter
Instructions
- Craft a silky dough by whisking flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, creating a dry ingredient foundation.
- Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until luxuriously smooth and pale, using an electric mixer for optimal texture.
- Incorporate egg, vanilla extract, and sour cream into the butter mixture, blending until the ingredients seamlessly unite.
- Gradually fold dry ingredients into the wet mixture, stirring gently until a soft, pliable dough emerges.
- Divide the freshly mixed dough into two equal portions, wrapping each carefully in plastic wrap to prevent moisture loss.
- Refrigerate the wrapped dough for a minimum of 2 hours, allowing it to firm and develop a more manageable consistency.
- Preheat the oven to 350F (175C) and prepare baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Retrieve one dough portion and roll it out on a lightly floured surface, aiming for a delicate 14-inch thickness.
- Select festive Christmas cookie cutters and press into the rolled dough, creating charming shapes like stars, snowflakes, trees, or gingerbread figures.
- Arrange cut-out cookies on prepared baking sheets, maintaining approximately 2 inches of space between each shape.
- Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, watching carefully until edges turn a delicate golden hue.
- Allow cookies to rest on baking sheets briefly before transferring to wire racks for complete cooling.
- Once cooled, embellish cookies with royal icing or buttercream, adorning them with sprinkles, colored sugars, or edible glitter for a whimsical holiday presentation.
Notes
- Softened butter ensures smooth mixing and helps create a creamy, uniform cookie texture without lumps.
- Chilling the dough is crucial for preventing spread and maintaining sharp cookie cutter shapes during baking.
- Use room temperature ingredients to help ingredients blend seamlessly and create a consistent dough structure.
- For gluten-free options, substitute all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend to maintain similar texture and consistency.
- Add festive flavors like orange zest or peppermint extract to customize the cookie’s taste profile without changing core recipe.
- Avoid overworking the dough to prevent tough cookies; mix just until ingredients are combined for tender, delicate results.
- Store undecorated cookies in an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze decorated cookies for extended freshness.
- Use powdered sugar instead of granulated when rolling out dough to prevent tough cookie surfaces and add subtle sweetness.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 50 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg