- Ho ho ho! I’m Mrs. Claus! This is the most exciting day of the year here at the North Pole! My love Santa really puts his hours in today, flying around the world making sure everyone feels the Christmas spirit! He loves getting a plate of cookies at each stop (sorry if he leaves any crumbs, he has to be a fast eater to get to every home!). Here is a fun baking project- make a cookie plate- out of a cookie*! Just trace out a small plate you have at home and add a couple minutes to the baking time. I also add a ring of cookie dough to the “top” of the cookie, but once the cookie cools, I flip it over and that becomes the stand for the plate. Once you frost your plate with royal icing you can paint it with a bit of gel food coloring mixed with vodka- or just get a few skittles wet and use the candy coating as a paint! Don’t be surprised if Santa eats your masterpiece, though! This recipe tastes as good as it looks! Yum! I’ve also included a cherry chocolate kisses cookie recipe that adds a pop of color and I know Santa loves! On behalf of all the North Pole Blog guest writers, have a wonderful, happy and fun Christmas and we hope to see you again next year!
*especially, for years like this one, when we might have anthropologie plate eyes, but only cookie plate pockets. This plate was inspired by their 12 Days of Christmas plates have sold out, but are on ebay for like $40 a plate!!!
alton brown's sugar cookie
Ingredients
- 3 c flour
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 c butter softened
- 1 c sugar
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tbs milk
- powdered sugar for rolling out dough, or flour
Instructions
- sift together flour, baking powder and salt, set aside
- with stand mixer, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy
- add egg and milk and combine
- add in flour, mixing on low. beat until mixture pulls from side of bowl
- make 2 disks of dough, place in plastic bag and put in fridge for at least 2 hours (longer is better, so egg protein has a chance to spread)
- pre heat oven to 375
- powder rolling surface or parchment paper with powdered sugar and roll out dough about 1/4'' thick. you can either pull dough away from cutter and leave shape on parchment paper or transfer the shape to another sheet of parchment paper using a spachula.
- place parchment paper on cookie sheet and bake for 9-11 mintues
royal icing
this is a great coating for a huge cookie, it firms up and is pretty hardy!
Ingredients
- 6 c confectioners sugar sifted!
- 3/4 c water
- 1/3 c meringue powder
Instructions
- with mixer on low, drizzle water over confectioners sugar
- mix on low for about 7 minutes, do not put mixer any higher than low or you get loads of air bubbles
- add coloring as needed, if you want thicker frosting, add more sifted confectioner sugar in 1/4 c increments
cherry kiss cookies
Ingredients
- 1 c softened butter
- 1 c powdered sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 tsp maraschino cherry liquid (if dough is not pinked by this step, add a couple drops pink food coloring)
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- 2 1/4 c flour
- 1/2 c chopped maraschino cherries
- sanding sugar
- 48 unwrapped hershey kisses
Instructions
- heat oven to 325
- beat butter and sugar and salt
- add cherry liquid and almond extract
- add flour
- stir in cherries
- refridgerate dough for 2 hours
- make 1'' balls with dough, roll them in sanding sugar, put on pan
- bake for 14 minutes
- immediatly add hershey kisses to cookies, cool on rack
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