Simple Sugar Cookies for a Snugly Christmas

Making Snoopy Christmas cookies is a delightful way to add festive touches to your holiday baking. This step-by-step guide will help you create sweet, decorated cookies that are both fun and easy to make.

Ingredients and Recipe for Sugar Cookies

To get started, you'll need the following ingredients:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 cup unsalted butter, softened 1 1/2 cups white sugar 1 large egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Royal icing for decorating Black food coloring gel Red food coloring gel

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing well after each addition until a dough forms. Divide the dough into two equal portions. Wrap each portion in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one portion of the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Use a Snoopy-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. Transfer them to the prepared baking sheets. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges. Remove from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Prepare royal icing according to the package instructions. Divide the icing into two bowls. Add black food coloring gel to one bowl and red food coloring gel to the other. Mix well until desired colors are achieved. Using a piping bag or a small zip-top bag with a corner snipped off, pipe Snoopy's facial features and Santa hat on each cookie using the black and red icing, respectively. Allow the icing to set before serving.

Alternative Rolled Cookie Recipes

While the recipe above is perfect for Snoopy, why not try a different rolled cookie recipe? Here are a couple of alternatives:

Old Fashioned Sour Cream Cut-Out Cookies

Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter flavored shortening 1 cup granulated sugar 1 large egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 cup sour cream Buttercream for frosting

Instructions: In a large bowl, beat the shortening and sugar until smooth. Blend in the egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients. Blend in the dry ingredients into the eggs alternately with the sour cream, being sure not to overwork the dough. IMPORTANT: Refrigerate the dough covered with cling wrap overnight or at least a couple of hours. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Place half of the dough on a floured surface. Press the dough out with your floured hands. Use a flour-coated rolling pin to roll the dough out evenly to about 1/8 inch thickness. Coat your cookie cutters with flour and cut out as many shapes as you can. Using a flour-coated spatula, carefully transfer the cookies to parchment-lined or non-stick baking sheets. Repeat steps 2-3 with the other half of dough. Don't waste the scraps of dough! Ball them up with your hands and roll them out for more cookies. These cookies won't have quite as soft of a texture as they get slightly overworked but are still very good. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes at 350°F or until just very slightly golden brown on the edges. Keep a close eye on the cookies because you want them a beautiful light color for the best texture. Allow the cookies to completely cool on cooling wracks before frosting. Allow to set and soften for a few hours before eating. Store in an air-tight container.

McCalls Magazine’s Butterscotch Rolled Cookies (circa 1967)

Ingredients: 2 2/3 cups brown sugar, firmly packed 1 tsp salt 1 lb/one cup soft butter 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp double-acting baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Glaze: 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar 1 egg white 1 tbsp butter, melted 1/8 tsp salt 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions: Mix brown sugar, salt, butter thoroughly in a large mixing bowl. Beat eggs and extract into mixture until light and fluffy. Sift together flour, baking powder, and soda and cinnamon and gradually blend into sugar ingredients. Chill well. Roll chilled dough 1/8 in thick on a well-floured surface. Cut into fancy shapes and bake on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until slightly brown around the edges. I like them chewy so I stay closer to 8 minutes, remove to cooling rack, cool completely before decorating. For glaze, blend confectioners sugar into 1 slightly beaten egg white, add melted butter, salt, and extract, beat until smooth. If too thin, add more sugar. Divide glaze into several parts and tint with desired food coloring. Apply glaze to cookies with decorating tubes or paint brushes. Load the kids with sprinkles and take lots of pictures! Store in airtight containers, yields 6-10 dozen cookies.

King Arthur’s Buttery Holiday Sugar Cookies

Ingredients: 1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar, 18 tablespoons salted butter, room temperature (use salted butter for this recipe) 1 large egg yolk, white reserved for topping if desired see Icing 2 1/4 cups confectioners sugar 2 tablespoons light corn syrup 1 1/2 tablespoons or up to 2 tablespoons (1 teaspoon milk enough to make a pourable/spreadable icing) Food coloring (optional) 1 cup coarse sparkling sugar or colored sugars for decorating (optional)

Icing: Mix sugar, butter, egg yolk, salt, and flavor, beating until smooth. Add the flour, mixing until smooth. The mixture will seem dry at first but will suddenly come together. If it doesn't, dribble in a tablespoon of water.

Instructions: Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a flattened disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. When you're ready to bake, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it soften for about 20 to 30 minutes until it feels soft enough to roll. It should still feel cold but shouldn't feel rock-hard. Sprinkle your rolling surface with flour and flour your rolling pin. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll it 1/8 in thick. Cut into shapes and place on baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Cool completely before decorating with icing and sparkling sugars if desired.

Tips for Decorative Glazes: Gel food colorings work best for even beginner decorators. Use a piping bag or small zip-top bag with a corner snipped off for intricate designs. Let the designs set before serving to avoid smudging.

Whichever recipe you choose, adding a personal touch with decorative icing and colorful sprinkles will make your cookies truly special. Enjoy the process and the delicious results of your hard work!