Christmas Cutouts With White Chocolate Glaze Food

CHRISTMAS CUTOUTS WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE GLAZE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream the butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, milk and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. , Divide dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one portion to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut into desired shapes with floured 2-in. cookie cutters. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough. , Bake at 350° for 7-9 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Remove to wire racks to cool., In a microwave-safe bowl, melt white chocolate; stir until smooth. Tint with food coloring. Transfer to a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag; cut a small hole in a corner of bag. Pipe designs on cookies.

CHRISTMAS CUTOUT SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a bowl, stir together flour and baking powder. In another bowl, beat butter with sugar until fluffy and light. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture, a third at a time to make a stiff dough. Divide dough into 4 pieces. Roll out a portion of cookie dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out shapes using cookie cutters. Place on lightly greased or nonstick cookie sheets. Bake until lightly golden, about 10 minute, rotating baking sheet halfway through cooking time. Cool completely on pans about 5 minutes, transfer to cooling racks and cool completely before decorating.
• In a small bowl, mix sugar and water to form a thick, smooth icing. Stir in food coloring to reach desired shade. Drop icing onto cookies using a small teaspoon and smooth with the back of the spoon. Make additional bowls for additional colors.
• Additional multi-colored sprinkles can be added on top of icing before it dries for more decorative cookies, if desired.

EASY WHITE CHOCOLATE GLAZE

Steps:

• Heat all the ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until the white chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth and of desired drizzling consistency.

COOKIE-CUTTER DUTCH SUGAR COOKIES WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE GLAZE

Steps:

• In a large bowl using an electric mixer beat sugar and butter until light (about 5 minutes).
• Beat in egg and vanilla.
• In a small bowl mix together flour, baking powder and salt; add to the creamed mixture JUST to combine.
• Divide the dough in half and gather each pieces into a ball, then flatten into a disc.
• Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for a minimum of 2 hours or more, or freeze.
• Set oven to 325°F (second-lowest rack).
• Roll out one disc on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8-inch thickness.
• Using assorted cookie cutter cut out cookies and transfer to a ungreased cookie sheet, leaving 1-inch between cookies.
• Gather dough scraps and re-roll.
• Repeat with remaining dough disc.
• Bake cookies until pale golden (about 13 minutes).
• Transfer to racks and cool.
• Melt the white chocolate and spoon into a pastry bag (1/16-inch tip size) or just drizzle with a small spoon.
• Pipe the chocolate onto the cookies in a decorative pattern.
• Sprinkle lightly with very finely chopped almonds if desired, then let stand until the chocolate sets.

WHITE-CHOCOLATE-GLAZED COOKIES

Steps:

• Knead dough briefly to soften. Fill a cookie press with dough, and fit with disk to make shapes. Squeeze cookies directly onto a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until firm, 12 to 14 minutes.
• Let cool completely before dipping in the white chocolate. Apply small or crushed candies while glaze is wet. Let white-chocolate-glazed cookies set in refrigerator, and keep chilled until ready to serve.

CLASSIC CHRISTMAS SUGAR COOKIE CUTOUTS

Steps:

• In large bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, the butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, almond extract and egg until well blended. Stir in flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours.
• Heat oven to 375°F. Divide dough in half. On lightly floured surface, roll each half of dough 3/16 inch thick. Cut into assorted shapes with cookie cutters, or cut around patterns traced from storybook illustrations. If cookies are to be hung as decorations, make a hole in each 1/4 inch from top with end of plastic straw. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until light brown. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• In medium bowl, beat all frosting ingredients until smooth and spreadable. Tint with food color if desired. Frost and decorate cookies as desired with frosting and colored sugars.

BEST EVER CHOCOLATE CUTOUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg. Gradually stir in the sifted ingredients to form a soft dough. Divide dough into 2 pieces, flatten and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/8 inch in thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Dough is sticky so be sure to add more flour to the rolling surface as needed. Place cookies 1 1/2 inches apart onto cookie sheets.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.