These easy Christmas cookies can be made with a candy center or with nothing at all. They are soft and chewy and plain delicious. If you add the chopped candy in the middle before baking you will end up with cookies that resemble stained glass. These are a great family project.
The biggest recommendation I have when you are making cookies is that your butter be softened. I always use unsalted butter for cookies as I find that the extra salt alters the flavor too much. But if your butter is not soft you will end up with chunks of cold butter when you cream it with the sugar and that is not what you are looking for.
These cookies are soft and you will have to finish getting the dough together with your hands. You will also need to refrigerate them for a minimum of two hours so please keep that in mind.
This is what you are going to need for these delightful and easy Christmas cookies:
Makes 24 cookies
2 cups (256 grams) all-purpose flour
½ tsp. (2.5 ml) baking powder
½ tsp. (2.5 ml) salt
½ cup (113 grams) unsalted, softened butter
1 cup (200 grams) sugar
1 tsp. (5 ml) vanilla extract
1 large egg at room temperature
36 green and red candies – chopped
Mix the dry ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Cream the butter with the sugar. Add the vanilla and egg and mix in well. Add the dry ingredients and mix in. You will have to finish incorporating this dough with your clean hands.
Make a ball of the dough and wrap it in plastic wrap. Place it in the fridge for a minimum of two hours or up to a week.
Heat your oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper of silicon mats.
Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it out on a clean, floured counter top. Roll it to about 1/8th inch thick (o.3 centimeters). Cut your cookies with a cookie cutter and carefully transfer them to the cookie sheet.
Carefully cut a shape in the idle of your cookie. If it is a Christmas tree cut a triangle. If it is round cut a circle, etc. etc. Use a sharp small knife and remove the cut piece. Return it to the rest of the dough and roll it out again. Use all the dough.
Place some chopped candies in the middle of your cookies and bake for 7 to 8 minutes – until the edges are lightly browned and the candy has melted. Do not allow the candy to boil as it will get ruined.
Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet on top of a cooling rack for five minutes. Transfer them to another cooling rack and cool down completely. Serve and enjoy.
