Every Christmas we make “roll cookies.” Some call these “sugar cookies” or “Christmas cookies” or “cut-out cookies.” On my grandmother’s recipe card, in my grandmother’s pen the top of the recipe card says, “Roll Cookies.” So, that’s what we call them around here.
This is a wonderful project to do with children any time of year. It would be fun with a church group, with some neighborhood kids, at a family gathering, or any other time you have a some children in the mood for a fun activity.
Eater discretion is advised. If you make these cookies it will forever ruin every iced Christmas cookie you will ever eat again for the rest of your life. Most Christmas cookies look beautiful but taste like cardboard. These do not.
These cookies are buttery. They are crispy. The icing is rich and creamy. You will not be able to eat just one. It doesn’t matter how beautiful it is, or how long the small child worked on the icing. They (the cookies) will be inhaled by the end of the day. So plan on making 400.
Unfortunately, roll-cookies will never be considered “health food” but we can boost the nutritional value & curb the bad part with some real ingredients.
To make the dough I am using home made butter, organic flour, eggs from our pastured chickens and cane juice crystals. They will still be cookies; at the same time, I feel better about feeding these to my family when I use as many “real” ingredients as possible.
Melt some butter and cream with the sugar.
Add the eggs and mix those up (we are tripling the recipe).
Then add the salt, vanilla, and cream of tartar.
Last, work in the flour.
Divide the dough into 2 balls (if you are tripling it like us you will have 6 balls) and wrap with some plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour (or overnight).
I got up early in order to get things ready before the kids descended on the cooking-making adventure.
We will need some cookie cutters.
Look at all those cute Christmas-y cookie cutters! Sleighs, candy canes, snowmen, elves, angels, Christmas trees, ornaments, stars, gingerbread men – so much fun!
Although I tried to hide the livestock cookie cutters, my children knew I was holding out. They insisted on making “Christmas Cookies” shaped like farm animals. Apparently, cows, sheep and chickens can also say “Merry Christmas” around here.
It is time to roll out the dough. Flour the work surface well. Place your ball of dough onto the flour and sprinkle it with more flour. This will keep the cookies from being permanently stuck to your counter and the rolling pin.
Evenly roll out the dough. Work from the center and roll out toward the edges. Keep rolling until it is about 1/4″ thick.
Cut out your cookies and place them onto an ungreased cookie sheet. These will not rise or spread, so you can place them close together. UNLESS, you use “self-rising flour.” If you happen to accidently use self-rising flour you will have a problem on your hands. Your cookies will rise, poof and spread in the oven and not even resemble their original shape. I may have done this before. Maybe.
Keep cutting! As the kids fill the sheets I am baking them. By the way, if you want to hang cookies on your Christmas Tree so your dog can eat them, this is when you make a hole in the top of the cookie. We use a plastic straw. Then you can suck the dough out of the straw and eat it. Or you can blow the dough across the room at your sister.
Wanna know how to get 4 kids to be still and quiet for 4 hours?……… make Roll Cookies. BUT – you may spend the rest of your day life sweeping up flour, glitter, sprinkles……. and little white balls.
As soon as they come out of the oven move them to some parchment paper or a clean counter to cool.
After they cool, it is time to get decorating. I mix up a simple icing made with butter, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. After adding color to the icing I put it into ziplock bags and cut a hole in the corner.
It makes it easy for the kids to use without getting too messy.
I provided white pearls, sprinkles, and glitter in 4 different colors. It’s like an edible art class!
At first glance it looks like a beautiful assortment of Christmas delicacies. But upon further investigation you will find……
Bob and Larry.
An army of chickens.
A lamb. By the way. Do not buy these little, white, pearl balls for your cookie extravaganza. No matter how cute, perfect and festive they appear. Don’t buy them. Don’t take the field trip. Learn from my mistakes. These guys roll. They bounce. They hop. They escape. They will hit the floor and not stop until they have traveled through 3 rooms, covered 40 feet, and are hiding under something you will not lift for 3 years. You will still be finding little white balls on your floors next Easter.
A cow……. with an udder.
And, a pig. Nothing says Christmas like a pig covered with pink glitter.
Icing
- 1 stick melted Butter
- 1 box Powdered sugar (more if needed)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 Tbsp milk
Melt butter, add milk and vanilla. Mix in powdered sugar. You want this icing to be thick and spreadable. Add more powdered sugar as needed to get it thick.
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Merry Christmas!
| Servings |
batch
|
- 1 cup butter
- 2/3 cup cane sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 pinch cream of tartar
- 2 cups Flour
- 1 cup butter salted
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3-4 tbsp milk
- 1 1/2 lbs powdered sugar
Ingredients
Frosting
|
|
Melt butter. Add the sugar & mix with electric mixer. Mix in eggs, vanilla, salt, cream of tartar. Mix in flour.
Separate into 2 balls & wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour (or overnight).
Once chilled, roll out and cut into cookies. Bake 350 degrees for 8 minutes (or until edges begin to lightly brown). Cool on parchment paper or clean counter. Ice and decorate after cool.
Frosting:
Melt Butter. Add vanilla, milk, salt and whip with electric mixer. Add powdered sugar until frosting is thick and spread-able. If frosting gets too thick, thin with a little milk.
