For me and lots of different People who grew up on Pillsbury cookie dough, it’s not formally the vacations till I’ve had my share of sugar cookies printed with reindeer, Christmas timber, and snowmen. These presliced sugar cookies have been the nostalgic taste of December for so long as I can bear in mind, and the printed designs solely add to the whimsy.
It obtained me considering: How onerous may or not it’s to duplicate these fanciful cookies from scratch? I’ve solely ever tried slice-and-bake cookies as soon as earlier than, once I was in center college, and my lack of persistence with chilling the dough led to a puddle of butter and sugar in my baking tray. Might I redeem myself with a powerful sugar cookie full with a festive design? I needed to seek out out.
I enlisted the assistance of Lexi Harrison, who has a recipe for vacation slice-and-bake cookies on Crowded Kitchen, the weblog she runs together with her mother, Beth Harrison. Harrison’s submit for her Christmas-themed slice-and-bakes has pictures displaying the step-by-step course of, which appeared easy sufficient to me. I additionally reached out to Elizabeth LaBau, a pastry chef who particulars the best way to make Halloween-themed slice-and-bake cookies on her weblog, SugarHero.
Earlier than I obtained began, I needed to get my arms on some cookie cutters. Conventional sugar cookie cutters, the type you utilize for fondant-flooded sugar cookies, are too giant for this venture (except you need large cookies). So I ended up shopping for a set of cutters supposed for greens and cute bento containers, however labored properly on account of their small measurement.
“Single shapes with out an excessive amount of element are the best,” says LaBau, who recommends hearts and geometric shapes, in addition to easy seasonal shapes like leaves and pumpkins, as the perfect choices for first-timers making an attempt this cookie fashion. “The extra detailed a form is, the extra it’s a must to work to line up all the middle shapes, and the extra danger there’s of the form getting malformed throughout meeting,” she provides. My set didn’t have a Christmas tree or sweet cane form, so I went with a star, which felt like it will be each festive and simpler than a gingerbread man or angel with wings.
The recipe for the sugar cookie dough begins merely sufficient. You solely want eggs, butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, and vanilla extract, in addition to some type of meals coloring to dye the design portion of the dough. “The good half about making these from scratch is that precisely what’s going into them, and we’re agency believers that selfmade all the time tastes higher than store-bought,” Harrison says. “Plus, you should use gluten or dairy substitutes for these with meals allergy symptoms, and there are many pure meals dye choices for those who want to not use synthetic colours.” By comparability, the Pillsbury variations I like so dearly are made with elements like palm and canola oils, synthetic colours, and anti-caking components and preservatives. (To be clear, I don’t essentially have points with these elements as a result of I’ve been consuming these cookies all my life, however I’d by no means actually taken discover of them till I began this venture.)
I whipped up the cookie dough in a stand mixer and separated a 3rd to dye my dough. This half is definitely a bit difficult: You don’t need to overmix the dough, which makes the cookies robust, nevertheless it’s tough to totally incorporate the dye with out feeling just like the dough is being overworked. I like to recommend gently folding the dye into the dough; it would take some time, however a lighter contact will yield softer cookies.
For the following step of the method, “give your self extra time than you assume you want,” LaBau says. “With any new recipe there’s a little bit of a studying curve, and these cookies have the added complication of needing to be chilled throughout components of the meeting.” I rolled my inexperienced dough right into a flat sheet and let it chill within the freezer for half-hour whereas my undyed dough rested within the fridge. You need the design portion of your cookie dough to remain further chilly so it might probably preserve its form when it’s wrapped within the extra pliable, uncolored cookie dough.
When the inexperienced dough was sufficiently chilly however not frozen strong, I took it out and started chopping and stacking my star shapes. This was truly one in every of my favourite components of creating the cookies as a result of it felt methodical and stress-free, like enjoying with clay. Harris advises utilizing a contact of water when sticking the shapes collectively to assist them keep related. When you discover your dough getting too heat and shedding its form, place it again within the freezer to proceed chilling.
It took about quarter-hour to chop out and stick all the celebs collectively, which resulted in a 10-inch star-shaped log. Earlier than wrapping all the factor in cookie dough, I made certain to offer the dyed dough one final freeze to assist it preserve its form. At this stage, you may even go away your dough within the freezer in a single day to harden earlier than enveloping it within the remaining cookie dough.
Wrapping the star-shaped dough was a bit bit difficult due to the factors of the star. I needed to verify there was sufficient dough to fill every hole; I may see how a smoother design, like an decoration, could be simpler to mildew round. However I made it work, and in addition rolled the completed log to make sure it was even.
As soon as the log was utterly lined and chilled, it was time to slice the dough and discover out if all my labor had paid off. I felt immense pleasure with each completely centered star that emerged. Sure, there have been small gaps right here and there, however the total look was spectacular and festive — particularly in comparison with the Pillsbury cookies I’d purchased for comparability, which had been approach smaller and had muddled designs. The toughest half was over; from right here, the cookies wanted a mere 12 minutes within the oven to bake.
The ensuing cookie was subtly candy with specks of the vanilla bean paste I used. Taste-wise, it’s a comparatively easy cookie, however top-of-the-line components of creating it from scratch is you could experiment with your individual flavors. “Be happy so as to add in numerous extracts for various flavors, like peppermint or almond,” Harris advises. “It’s also possible to strive including totally different flavors to the dough, like citrus zest, raspberry powder, matcha, black sesame, and chocolate.”
Was it price it to make these cookies from scratch? My reply is sophisticated, particularly given the grip that the unique Pillsbury cookies nonetheless have on me. This can be a baking venture that requires at the very least 4 hours to finish, however the ensuing cooking wasn’t mind-blowing when it comes to taste (though I did audibly go “Awww” once I noticed that the design factor labored). LaBau agrees that this isn’t the cookie she’d flip to on a Friday evening when a random craving strikes. “However I do assume that for enthusiastic bakers, it’s a enjoyable and really satisfying venture,” she says. “Particularly for events and particular events, once you need your meals to be a bit extra spectacular, making your individual slice-and-bake cookies actually takes issues excessive.”
I do assume it’s price making these for celebratory cookie containers or to convey to a cookie alternate. I’d even strive amplifying the flavors so the ensuing cookies style extra thrilling. But when I’m craving that nostalgic sugar cookie taste, then store-bought, to cite the good Ina Garten, is ok.