ALL ABOUT COOKIES - COOKIE RECIPES, ICINGS AND BAKING HINTS * My Favorite Cookie Icing BELOW * HUNDREDS of Cookie Cutters HERE * Good Housekeeping CHRISTMAS 2004 cookies HERE * Good Housekeeping cookies HERE * Online Catalog | CHRISTMAS CUTTERS

I made some big Gingerbread boys with this icing. They had to have a yellow hard hat with a logo on the tummy. I used frosting sheet to make 200 logos, stuck them on with this icing, spread yellow hard hat with knife, then put it in a bag to make the brim. I also put it in a bag to outline. These cookies (200) went to Port of Trinidad...2 got broken! That isn't bad at all. They emailed me back that they loved them.

This icing is like that used on petite fours. It will crust so you can stack your cookies. But it won't get rock hard like royal icing does. I find it easier and more fun to work with too. This icing (as opposed to royal icing) is very tasty!

Firm Cookie Frosting: Try this, its very easy and you'll get raves!
Fondant Cookie Icing...For icing cookies (and for decorating):
(links go to the products needed)
10 parts Dry candy Fondant *
to
1 part water
Flavoring or this
Food Coloring

You can make it thicker by adding more dry c. fondant. Or thinner by adding more water. Color or flavor as desired. I usually just add a little almond flavoring or vanilla extract. No beating necessary. Just stir until no lumps remain. This can be as thin as color flow and still won't run off the side of the cake.

I ice the cookies with this. You should have it thin, but not so thin that it readily runs off the  cookie.
For decorations, I put some icing in a dec. bag with a tip #2 for drawing lines and detail. Or you can paint icing on to decorate too, using a medium soft paint-brush.
This icing is like that used on petite fours. It will crust so you can stack your cookies. But it won't get rock hard like royal icing does. I find it easier and more fun to work with too. This icing (as opposed to royal icing) is very tasty!

* Dry Candy Fondant, available via mail order HERE
Dry candy fondant is simply another sugar. It is not 'granulated, not brown, but fondant. It will keep like any other sugar.

Ingredients for 10 doz.
2 cups butter or margarine
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
2 tsp. flavoring (vanilla, almond, wintergreen, or rose)
 I use vanilla
4 1/2 cups Gold Medal Flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Ingredients for 20 doz.
4 cups butter or margarine
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
4 tsp. flavoring (vanilla, almond, wintergreen, or rose) I use vanilla
9 cups Gold Medal Flour
1 tsp. salt

Mix butter, sugar, and flavoring thoroughly. Measure flour by dipping method or by sifting. Mix flour and salt; stir in. Mix with hands. See notes below...wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap; chill several hours or overnight.
   Heat oven to 375° ( mod. hot ).  Hold cookies at room temperature for awhile if hard to slice. (They aren't ever hard to slice...recipe says this.) <BR>
   Cut slices abut 1/8" thick. Place a little apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8 to 10 min. Do not brown. I take them out when barely hinting at being brown. These don't get real hard and great tasting.

Don't let them brown. They aren't suppose to brown and won't taste good.
FOR SLICED COOKIES:  I've rolled it in 2 rolls, roll in non-periels;chill, slice and bake...really pretty.

FOR CUTOUTS: I rolled the dough out THEN chilled it. It is easy to lift off and put on a cookie sheet to bake. Have them as thick or thin as you like.
I've made cutout coookie. They won't spread like a lot of these, won't get rock hard either...unless you put royal icing on them, then they probably do. I use my fondant cookie icing. <BR>I don't know how these would be on a stick...never tried that.
Dolores at http://www.sugarcraft.com

  *if using self-rising flour omit Baking soda and cream of tartar

  Mix powdered sugar, margarine, vanilla, almond extract and egg. Stir in
  remaining ingredients except granulated sugar. Cover and refrigerate at
  least 2 hours.Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease cookie sheet lightly. Divide
  dough in half. Roll each half 1/4-inch thick on lightly floured surface.
  Cut into desired shapes with 2 to 2-1/2-inch cookie cutters. Place on
  cookie sheet. Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until edges are light brown; cool.
  Frost or decorate cooled cookies with Creamy Vanilla Frosting tinted with
  food color if desired. Decorate with colored sugar, small candies, candied
  fruit or nuts if desired. ABOUT 5 DOZEN COOKIES; 80 COOKIES PER COOKIE.

Use any nice rollout cookie. I suggest our KALEIDOSCOPE recipe above

Features our
Pink Sanding Sugar
Cocoalight chocolate coating

Sprinkle sanding sugar on freshly hot baked cookie.
Cool well. Dip in melted Cocoalight coating chocolate

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375 F. Cream butter and sugar, add egg and mix. Add remaining ingredients and mix until smooth. Refrigerate dough 2 hours. Roll out dough 1/8 in. thick on lightly floured surface, dip cutters into flour before each use. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Place on cooling rack for 5 minutes, remove from sheet and cool.

KNEAD IN 1/4 CUP FLOUR LATER
2 1/2 cups All-purpose flour,save 1/4 c
2 ts Baking powder
1/4 ts Salt
1/2 ts Vanilla - Available HERE
1/2 ts Almond - Available HERE

  CHILL DOUGH SEVERAL HOURS OR OVERNIGHT: Could put the dough in the freezer
  to chill, if in a hurry, for 1-2 hours. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Grease
  cookie sheet (only ONCE). No need to grease it each time.
    Add ingredients together, saving out the 1/4 cup of flour. Knead the 1/4
  cup flour into the dough now, chill. Roll out, using flour on surface,
  cutters and rolling pin, generously. Try to get more flour on tiny places.
     This is a great recipe for the creased cookie cutters, because it is
  delicious and dough does not lose its shape. For this type of cutter, roll
  to about 1/4" thickness, so dough is just thick enough to leave the cutter
  imprints. Ordinarily, roll dough to 1/4" thickness for best results. Any
  cookie will lose detail and shape when it is too thick. This cookie is good
  iced with thin royal icing. Cookie stays soft, but is not terribly fragile.
  Source: Shared with me by Mary Billersen of Cin. because I helped her
  replace some favorite cookie cutters she'd lost. These cookies have been a
  tradition in her family for generations. Dolores McCann, Hamilton OH

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups flour

Preheat oven to 400°.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer.
Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add baking powder and flour one cup at a time, mixing after each addition.
The dough will be very stiff; blend last flour in by hand.
Do not chill dough. Divide dough into 2 balls.
On a floured surface, roll each ball in a circle approximately 12" in diameter and 1/8" thick.
Dip cutters in flour before each use.
Bake cookies on un-greased cookie sheet on middle rack of oven for 6-7 minutes, or until cookies are lightly browned.

   3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1 cup unsalted butter, softened
    2/3 cup sugar
    1 large egg
    1 tablespoon light corn syrup
    1 tablespoon vanilla extract - Available HERE

In a medium size bowl, mix the flour and salt. In a large bowl, cream the
butter and sugar, stir in the egg, then the corn syrup and vanilla extract. One
third at a time, add the flour mixture until thoroughly mixed. Pat the
dough into two disks, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 to 2
hours, or until firm enough to roll. If the dough is too firm, soften at room
temperature for about 5 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll the dough between two pieces of
waxed paper or plastic wrap, 1/4 inch thick. Remove the top sheet of
waxed paper and cut out the cookies with cookie cutters or cardboard
patterns. Using a metal spatula, transfer the shapes to a baking sheet, leaving about
1 inch between the cookies. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or just until the cookies
start to brown lightly around the edges. Set the baking sheet on a wire rack and cool
for about 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to racks and cool completely. The
cookies can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1
month and for up to 3 days at room temperature before you frost them.
Makes 12 to 50 cookies, depending on their size.

Chocolate Dough:
After the last third of flour has been added to the dough, mix in 1 ounce
melted, slightly cooled unsweetened chocolate. Use your hands to knead in
the chocolate.

Colored Dough:
Divide the dough into portions and use a toothpick to add food coloring
paste to each one. Knead until the color is evenly distributed. For a
flavor surprise, omit the vanilla extract and add 1 teaspoon lemon
extract to the yellow dough, mint extract to the green
dough, and strawberry extract to the red dough.

Striped Dough:
This colorful dough is perfect for the Hat and Mittens cookies. Divide the
cookie dough in half and tint each a different color. Pat each half into a
rectangle, about 5 by 7 inches, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate or freeze
until firm. Roll each piece between two sheets of waxed paper to form
rectangles that measure 8 by 11 inches and are about 1/4 inch thick.
Stack directly on top of each other. Using a sharp long knife, cut the dough
into strips about 1/2 inch wide. Turn each strip on its side with the stripes
facing up. Place one strip near the end of a large piece of waxed paper. Press
the next strip of dough parallel to the first strip, alternating the colors. Place a
piece of waxed paper on top of the stripes and roll over the top to make
them adhere. Remove the top piece of paper and cut out shapes as desired.

Marbleized Dough:
Lightly press together any scraps of the striped dough to achieve a marbleized look.

Soft Cookie Frosting:
This basic frosting can be spread on the cookies or applied as a decorative piping
with a pastry bag. If you plan to pipe the frosting, make it stiffer by adding a
little less milk. If you don't have time to make the frosting, buy tubes of colored frosting.

    2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
    1/4 cup unsalted  butter, softened
    1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract - Available HERE
    1 to 2 tablespoons milk
    Liquid or paste food  coloring (optional)

In a large bowl and using an electric mixer set at low speed, beat the confectioners'
sugar, butter, and vanilla extract until it reaches spreading consistency. Add
more sugar or a little milk, if necessary, to achieve the right texture. Stir in the
food coloring until combined, if desired. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Egg Paint:
This shiny paint is a nice alternative to coloring your cookie dough or
frosting your baked cookies. Paint the cookies before you pop them in the
oven.

    1 egg yolk
    Liquid or paste food coloring

In a small cup or bowl, stir the egg yolk and a small amount of food
coloring. Use a paintbrush to create designs on the cookies before you bake them. 

Picks and pans
Bake cookies on flat sheets with little or no rim; baking pans with 1-inch rims are for bar cookies. Choose heavy-gauge aluminum pans with a dull finish. If you would like to skip greasing, use a nonstick cookie sheet. The dough won't spread as much, though, so you'll get thicker cookies.

Insulated cookie sheets are fine if you want pale drop cookies with soft centers. You might have trouble using these pans for cookies high in butter, shaped cookies, and some drop cookies because the butRr may melt and leak out before the dough is set. Because dough spreads before it sets, you're also likely to have cookies with thin edges. Don't bake cookies on an insulated sheet till they brown or they will be dry.

Slice and bake
Give your sliced cookies a decorative edge by rolling the dough in finely chopped nuts or coconut or colored sugar. Lightly press the coating into the dough to keep it from falling off.

To keep your cookies nice and round, slide the cylinder of dough into a tall drinking glass, and chill. If a recipe makes more than one roll of dough, take only one roll at a time from the refrigerator to slice. Keep the others chilled until you're ready for them. While you're slicing, rotate the roll frequently to avoid flattening one side.

Cookie-decorating  reminders
· Decorate cookies with granulated or colored sugar immediately after rolling and cutting. Once the surface dries a bit the sugar won't stick well.
· Teach young helpers that more isn't better; only the sugar that touches the cookie dough will bake in place. The rest will burn on the pan or fall off.
· Wait till cookies have cooled completely before icing them.
· If you want to sprinkle sugar on iced cookies, work on just a few cookies at a time, and add the sugar while the icing is wet.
· If you want to make iced cutouts ahead, we recommend that you freeze the plain cutouts. When ready to serve, thaw the cookies, then ice. Frozen icing tends to discolor or dry out and fall off. Cookies frozen with icing also may be less crisp because they tend to absorb moisture from the icing.

Use the right fat option.
Most of the recipes in this magazine call for butter. It gives a wonderful flavor and ensures good results. Many margarines contain considerable water and will yield undesirable cookies. If you want to use margarine instead of butter, use only stick margarine that contains at least 80 percent vegetable oil. (Oil content is listed on the package.) Margarines produce softer dough, so you may need to chill it longer than
directed. Spreadable tub products contain more water than oil and should never be used for baking.

Measure flour correctly
There's no need to sift flour when making cookies, but accurate measuring is critical to the texture of your goodies. Always measure flour in nested metal or plastic cups. Glass or plastic cups with spouts and measurements on the sides are meant for liquids. If you use a liquid measuring cup for flour, you could end up with an extra tablespoon or more per cup. Begin by stirring the flour while it is still in the container. Using a large spoon, gently scoop the flour into the measuring cup. Level off the top with the straight edge of a metal spatula. Do not pack the flour into the cup with the spoon or tap the cup on the counter to level.

Treat spices nicely.
Because you use such small amounts of spices at a time, it's easy to lose track of when you purchased them. But freshness counts; spice flavor comes from volatile oils that lose their punch over time. To get the maximum flavor, buy spices in small amounts, then write the date of purchase on the container. Keep all spices in well-sealed, airtight containers stored in a cool, dry place. Throw away spices more than 6 months old.

Melt chocolate an easy way.
If using chocolate squares, coarsely chop the chocolate before melting. This makes it melt more quickly and with less danger of scorching.

It's all right to melt chocolate in a double boiler, but it's not necessary. Using a double boiler increases the chances of getting a drop or two of water in the chocolate, which will cause it to seize, or stiffen.

To melt over direct heat, put the chopped chocolate or chocolate pieces in a small, heavy saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon till the chocolate just begins to melt. Remove the saucepan from the heat and continue stirring until smooth. If necessary, return the pan to the heat for a few seconds.

If you use a microwave oven for melting, cook the chopped chocolate or chocolate pieces, uncovered, only until soft. Stir often to keep the heat evenly distributed through the chocolate. For 4 ounces of chocolate, allow 1 to 2 minutes. Stir after 1 minute and then after every 30 seconds.

If you're melting chocolate for a drizzle, add 1 teaspoon shortening for each 1/2 Cup (3 ounces) of chocolate to help the chocolate set.

Select your rolled oat option.
In most recipes, you can use quick-cooking or old-fashioned rolled oats. Because they're thicker, old-fashioned oats impart a more rugged texture than quick-cooking oats. Neither instant nor steel-cup rolled oats should be used in baking; the first are too powdery, the second too coarse.

Add zest with citrus peel.
When your recipe calls for shredded lemon, orange, or lime peel, use only the colored surface of the peel, avoiding the bitter-tasting, white pith beneath. A hand grater or zester is convenient, as is the newer micro-planer.

You also can use a vegetable peeler to remove thin layers of peel. Then finely mince with a sharp kitchen knife. Freeze extra peel in a re-sealable plastic freezer bag.

Baking powder or balling soda?
Both are leavening agents; they make cookies rise and become light. But baking powder and baking soda are not interchangeable in recipes. Baking powder's leavening power is released by moisture and heat. Baking soda needs acid to start its leavening action, so it's usually used in small amounts in recipes that contain ingredients such as sour cream, molasses, brown sugar, or chocolate. Too much baking soda gives an unpleasant, soapy taste.
Articles from Better Homes & Gardens 2001 Christmas Cookies Magazine.

1.Take your time when baking cookies. If I'm rushed when baking, I invariably omit an ingredient or make mistakes.

2.To prevent any eggshell from accidentally mixing into the cookie dough, break eggs into a separate bowl, then add them to the dough.

3.If a baking sheet is only partially filled with cookies, it usually takes less time to bake than a full   baking sheet.

4.The only tricky part of making cookies is baking them properly. And that's simply a matter of   watching them carefully, especially as they near the end of their baking time. Resist any temptation   to answer the telephone or leave the kitchen.

5.Shiny heavyweight baking sheets that reflect heat are less likely to produce overbaked cookie  bottoms than dark baking sheets that absorb heat. Line baking sheets with  parchment paper, heavy aluminum foil or nonstick liners for easy cleanup. Liners seldom need to be buttered.

7.Two sheets of cookies in the oven may require a longer baking time than one sheet. One of the pans may be ready sooner than the other. Reverse the pans in the oven for evenly baked cookies.

8.Store differently flavored cookies in separate containers.  A butter cookie could absorb the flavor from a spice cookie. Store soft and crisp cookies separately. If crisp cookies are packed with soft cookies or moist bars, they can absorb moisture from them and lose their crispness.

9.Small changes in a recipe can make big changes in the final cookie. Sifting flour for a brownie can change its final texture, and cooling a molasses mixture longer than directed can make a Lebkuchen batter difficult to mix.

10.For arranging assortments of cookie, I use platters that are 12 inches across or smaller. Small platters of cookies can be replenished often and look inviting rather than picked over.

From Good Housekeeping magazine 2001

     I used her rec and LOVED it! This woman in a houston local that dec. like Collette Peters and her cookies hold up good and taste great

     Sugar Cookies (roll-out)
     from (Kathie Lou Warncke's Mom)

     1 c. sugar
     1 c. butter flavor Crisco
     2 eggs
     2¼ c. flour
     ¼ teaspoon salt
     1½ teaspoon baking powder
     ½ teaspoon butter, almond or lemon extract (optional)
     1 teaspoon vanilla extract

     Beat together Crisco and sugar. Beat in eggs. Mix flour, salt, and baking powder. Stir flour mixture into sugar mixture. Form into a ball, cover with
     Saran wrap and cool in refrigerator for 2 hours.

     For Rolling - (additional do NOT reduce above flour or sugar)
     1 c. flour
     ¼ c. sugar

     Mix together flour and sugar and use for rolling cookies. Cut shapes desired. Bake at 350o in a regular oven (275o in a convection oven) until lightly
     golden. Cool on parchment. Store on a paper towel in an air tight container. (Cookies can be stood on end to prevent breakage.)

FEEDBACK:
Hey Sugarcraft Folks:
Just a quick note to let you know I am greatful for your site.  It has been such a help to me.  I am a volunteer for our local Home Hospice. I make cookies for the patients and families for special occations and holidays.  I have just made the valentine cookies using your "Hints from Julie B" recipe.  It turned out great.  But due to the volume of cookies I need to make, time does not allow me to make them cute like so many of yours.  I recently e-mailed asking if the dough can be frozen and the quick response was "freeze away"!  Your were right.  I have come up with an idea that really helped me, again the volume.  I make up 8 batches for my cookies.  Instead of freezing a ball or roll of cookie dough I thought of  storing the dough in a large zipper freezer bag.  I just put the dough in the bag & rolled it flat.  As you roll flat from side to side and bottom to top, all the air is rolled out as well, making for an air tight seal.  These stack great in the freezer.  When it came time to make my cookies, I discovered the dough stayed plyable enough to easily take out of the bags and roll out.  After all, half of the rolling was done prior to this step.  There was no need to let thaw.  That way when I drag out all my ingredients, I can make 8 or 10 batches for future use.  It's just as easy to make 10 as 1 in my opion.  Thought your viewers mignt find this tip helpful also.  So now it's on to St. Patricks Day cookies.  I think I will place an order first.

Happy Cuttin',
LaDawn

     This is my own recipe that I absolutely LOVE! The are nice and chewy/tender, but sturdy!
     Michelle's Cut-Out Cookie Recipe (roll-out)
     1 cup shortening (I use butter flavor crisco)
     1 1/3 cup sugar
     3 tsp. Vanilla
     2 eggs
     3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
     1 tsp. Salt
     2 tsp. Baking powder

     Cream shortening, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, beat well. Sift flour, salt and baking powder; stir into creamed mixture. Chill for several hours or
     overnight. Roll onto lightly floured surface to ¼” thickness. Cut into desired shapes.
     Bake at 375’ until edges just begin to brown. Cool on wire racks. Makes 36 to 48.

Serving: Yields: about 8 dozen cookies
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes plus chilling, cooling, and decorating

1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened (no substitutions)
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
assorted colored granulated sugars for decorating
Ornamental Frosting, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat butter and sugar until blended. Increase speed to high, beat until light and creamy. At low speed, beat in egg and vanilla. Beat in
flour and baking powder just until blended.

2. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Wrap each piece with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm enough to
roll, about 1 hour.

3. On lightly floured surface, with floured rolling pin, roll 1 piece of dough 1/8 inch thick. With floured 2- to 3-inch assorted cookie cutters, cut dough into as many cookies as possible, wrap and refrigerate trimmings. Place cookies, 1 inch apart, on large ungreased cookie sheet, sprinkle cookies with colored sugar now if you like, or frost with Ornamental Frosting after baking.

4. Bake cookies 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool. If you like, brush colored sugar remaining on cookie sheets onto piece of waxed paper to use again. Repeat with remaining dough and trimmings.

5. When cookies are cool, prepare Ornamental Frosting if you like, use to decorate cookies as desired. Sprinkle colored sugars as desired on frosting before it dries. Allow frosting to dry completely, about 1 hour. Store cookies in tightly covered container up to 2 weeks.

Each cookie without colored sugar or frosting: About 40 calories, 1 g protein, 5 g carbohydrate, 2 g total
fat (1 g saturated), 0 g fiber, 7 mg cholesterol, 20 mg sodium.

Photograph by Mark Thomas

Based on individual serving.
Calories: 200
Total Fat: 2.0 g
Saturated Fat: 1.0 g
Cholesterol: 7.0 mg
Sodium: 20 mg
Carbohydrates: 5 g
Fiber: 0.00 g
Protein: 1.0 g

 1 batch holiday sugar cookies
 1 package (10 to 12 ounces) hard candy such as sour balls in assorted colors*
 clear nylon fishing line

1. Prepare Holiday Sugar Cookie dough as in steps 1 and 2.

2. While dough is chilling, group candies by color and place in separate heavy-duty self-sealing plastic bags. Place 1 bag on towel-covered work surface. With meat mallet or rolling pin, lightly crush candy into small pieces, being careful not to crush until fine and powdery. Repeat with remaining candy.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll and cut dough as in step 3 of Holiday Sugar Cookies, but place cutout cookies on large cookie sheet lined with foil.

4. With mini cookie cutters, canapé cutters, or knife, cut 1 or more small shapes from each large cookie;
remove small cutout pieces and reserve for rerolling. Place some crushed candy in cutouts of each cookie.
With drinking straw, make a hole in top of each cookie for hanging.

5. Bake cookies 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool cookies completely on cookie sheet.
With pancake turner, remove cookies. Repeat with remaining dough and trimmings.

6. For wreath, tree, or window decorations, tie nylon fishing line through hole in each cookie to make loop
for hanging.

Each cookie: About 90 calories, 1 g protein, 14 g carbohydrate, 4 g total fat (1 g saturated), 7 mg cholesterol, 40 mg sodium.

*Do not use red-and-white-swirled peppermint candies -- they won't melt in the oven.

Based on individual serving.
Calories: 90
Total Fat: 4.0 g
Saturated Fat: 1.0 g
Cholesterol: 7.0 mg
Sodium: 40 mg
Carbohydrates: 14 g
Protein: 1.0 g

Serving: Makes: About thirty 3 1/2- to 5-inch cookies

 3/4 cup granulated sugar
 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter,  softened
 1 large egg
 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 2 cups unsifted all-purpose  flour
 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
 1/4 teaspoon salt
 Royal Icing (Below)
 Food coloring (see Note)
 Gold dragées (see Note)
 Red and green sanding sugar (see Note)
 Confectioners' sugar
 Green metallic dust (see Note)
 Ribbons and small bells (optional)

1. In medium-size bowl, with electric mixer on medium speed, beat granulated sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla until well mixed. Reduce mixer speed to low. Gradually beat in flour, baking powder, and salt. Gather dough into a ball, flatten to a 5-inch round, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate
dough at least 30 minutes, or overnight.

2. When dough has chilled, heat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets. Cut dough round in half.

3. Cut 2 pieces of waxed paper the same size as baking sheets. Lightly flour waxed paper; place one sheet on counter, floured side up, then place one half of dough in center and top with other sheet, floured side down. Roll out dough half between paper to 1/8-inch thickness. Remove top piece of waxed paper from dough. Using desired cookie cutters (we used a 3 1/2-inch wreath shape, a 4-inch bell shape, and 5-inch stocking and tree shapes), cut out as many cookies as possible, leaving 1/2 inch between each shape.  Remove all trimmings and press together. Invert waxed paper with cookies onto greased baking sheet and peel off waxed paper. Re-roll trimmings between floured waxed paper to cut out more shapes. Repeat with remaining half of cookie dough to fill second baking sheet. If making cookies to use as hanging ornaments, use a toothpick to pierce a small (1/16-inch wide) hole about 1/2 inch from top center of each cookie.

4. Bake cookies 10 to 12 minutes or until just golden at edges. Cool cookies 5 minutes on baking sheets; remove to wire racks; cool completely.

5. To decorate cookies as pictured, prepare Royal Icing. Place 1/2 cup icing in a pastry bag fitted with a  small #1 writing tip; place in plastic bag to prevent icing from drying, seal, and set aside. Divide remaining  icing among 3 small bowls. Tint icing in one bowl pale yellow using yellow food coloring; tint another green using green food coloring; tint the third bowl of icing red using red food coloring. Beat a few teaspoons water into colored icings until they have the consistency of house paint -- thick but runny. Cover each bowl tightly with plastic wrap until ready to use.

6. To ice and decorate tree cookies, using a pastry brush, paint the front of cookies with a thick coat of green icing (avoid any pierced holes). Then, dip the tip of a small artist's brush in green food coloring and paint curved stripes of dark green on top of icing to create the effect of branches. Place gold dragees on  points of the trees; set aside to dry.

7. To ice and decorate stocking cookies, using a pastry brush, paint the bottom two-thirds of the front of each cookie with a thick coat of red icing; sprinkle red sanding sugar over iced part of cookies and set aside to dry. When dry, sift confectioners' sugar on top third of cookies to create the effect of white trim on stockings.

8. To ice and decorate bell cookies, using a pastry brush, paint the front of cookies with a thick coat of  yellow icing (avoid any pierced holes). While yellow icing is still wet, using icing in pastry bag, top yellow icing with loops and swirls of white icing. Scatter 12 to 14 gold dragées over each bell; set a side to dry.

9. To ice and decorate wreath cookies, using a small artist's brush, cover cookies lightly with green metallic
dust. Using icing in pastry bag, pipe random dots of white icing on wreaths; sprinkle dots with green sanding sugar. When icing on cookies is dry, sprinkle lightly with confectioners' sugar to create the effect of snow.

10. To store cookies, arrange in a single layer in airtight container. Do not refrigerate. If cookies are to be displayed only and not eaten, they can be baked and decorated up to one month ahead, though any  sprinkling of confectioners' sugar should not be done beforehand. If cookies are going to be displayed and eaten, prepare and store up to a week ahead, displaying for only a few hours before eating.

11. If desired, attach ribbons and bells to hang ornaments from tree.

Royal Icing: Or for a complete recipe go HERE
In large bowl, with electric mixer on low speed, beat one 1-pound package confectioners' sugar, 3 large egg  whites (if cookies are to be eaten, do not use egg whites; use meringue powder and follow package directions for Royal Icing-see Note), and 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar until mixed. Increase speed to high and beat until very thick and fluffy -- about 5 minutes. Cover tightly with plastic wrap to prevent drying until ready to use. Makes 2 cups.

NOTE:  LINKS TO PRODUCTS:
We used Baker's Preferred paste/gel food colorings: Forest Green; Egg Yellow; and  Super Red food colorings
gold dragees
green metallic dust I really know of no green metallic, only gold and silver.
sanding sugar red and green
meringue powder
All and more are available from http://www.sugarcraft.com

Nutrition information per cookie -- protein: .7 gram; fat: 2 grams; carbohydrate: 8 grams; fiber: 0; sodium: 69 milligrams; cholesterol: 10 milligrams; calories: 56.

Based on individual serving.
Calories: 56
Total Fat: 2.0 g
Cholesterol: 10.0 mg
Sodium: 69 mg
Carbohydrates: 8 g
Fiber: 0.00 g

HANDS
Let the kids trace their hands on paper. Use the paper for a pattern and cut out the hands.
Bake then add candy and nut trims.
ingernails: sliced almond
Bracelet: Fruit candies
Other small candies