It’s that time of year again when we bribe Santa for the more expensive gifts. Lol, that’s a joke. Old Saint Nick is a fair man that does not take bribes or seek political influence. Before I go on a tangent about bribing Santa and how cool it would be if he gave adults gifts, let’s talk about thanking him for the gifts he gave us when we were younger.
Santa is a reasonable man that likes cookies and milk, so it’s only natural to treat him to some Christmas Sugar Cookies. These are the best holiday cookies I have had this year, and I will not regret eating too many. Well, not today, but maybe in the new year when I make a New Year’s resolution. That’s a different problem for a different day.
The big thing about these Christmas Sugar Cookies is that it doesn’t have a lot of sugar, and it packs a punch of flavor. There is a crucial ingredient depending on whether Santa is driving home or not. If the elves aren’t helping him out, add lime juice, but if he has some help that night add a bit of brandy, a tablespoon or two will do.
Since Santa won’t be the only one eating cookies in this house and I want to look out for his health, I lowered the sugar content. (Not really I secret, but I love to bake sweets but, I’m not particularly eager to eat sweets. Yes, I am contradictory by nature.)
This recipe makes about 20 cookies with have of them being “test subjects” and Santa eating the rest. This recipe and all my recipes are made without a stand mixer or machine because I don’t have them.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup of brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp lime juice
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 of cups all-purpose flour
- 3/8 tsp of baking powder
- 1/8 tsp of nutmeg
- 3/8 tsp of salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the sugar and butter until creamy. (I often melt my butter down first and let it cool down to room temperature.)
- Add in the rest of the wet ingredients: egg, vanilla extract, and lime juice and mix until blended fully.
- Mix dry ingredients with a whisk in a smaller bowl, then add them gradually to mixture in the larger bowl.
- Scrape your dough out onto a plastic wrap and mold it into a disk shape.
- Place dough in the fridge for 2 1/2 hours and let it rise.
- Remove dough from the fridge and preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Wait 20 minutes for your dough to warm up to room temperature.
- On a lightly floured surface, place the dough and roll out until it has a thickness of 1/4 of an inch. If you want crispier cookies, roll the dough thinner.
- Use your favorite cookie cutter to create different shapes to impress good Ole Saint Nick and transfer to a baking sheet.
- If you have extra dough, roll it back into a ball and flatten it once more.
- Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes or until the edges start to become golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let cool.
- You can decorate with frosting or sprinkles. Enjoy Your hard work.
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Spice and Nice 