| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 30 minutes |
| Passive Time | 30 minutes |
| Servings |
cookies
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- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 tsp Almond Extract
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
Ingredients
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|
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Add butter to the bowl of your stand mixer and cream on medium-high for 1-2 minutes, or until butter is smooth and lighter in color.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the sugar and then the egg.
- Scrape the bowl with the mixer off.
- Turn mixer back on low and add in extracts.
- Allow all ingredients to combine fully.
- Add the baking powder and then the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until fully incorporated.
- Remove bowl from mixer and drop dough onto a floured countertop. Roll out into a flat disc, about 1/2 inch thick.
- Cutout cookies into Christmas inspired shapes and bake at 350°F for 6-9 minutes.
- Let cool on the cookie sheet until firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack.
- Frost with buttercream or glaze icing.
Sifting Dry Ingredients – Sift dry ingredients like flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa powder. Getting air into them helps make for fluffier cookies. To sift, simply combine your dry ingredients and pour into in a fine-mesh strainer. Tap or shake the strainer until everything’s in your bowl. Even if sifting is not called for, you can whisk the dry ingredients for 30 seconds to fully combine.
Creaming Butter and Sugar – Unlike stirring or mixing, creaming isn’t about combining ingredients, it’s about aerating them. Creaming creates air pockets that expand in the oven, making the dough tender. When you add sugar, that process is more effective. Sugar crystals are formed and the air is efficiently added to the butter and sugar mixture. Butter beats up fluffiest at room temperature, or when slightly softened.
Eggs – Eggs should be added at room temperature. They add moisture to the air pockets and flavor to the dough. To quickly warm eggs, place them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes. After the eggs have been added you should also add the vanilla extract or sometimes milk (also room temperature) if the recipe calls for it.
Credit: Amanda Rettke
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