Stay home for the holidays and spend some time baking these scrumptious festive cookies – holiday recipes by Milk Bar founder, Christina Tosi.
Recipe 1: Chocolate Peppermint Cutout Cookies
MAKES 12-18 COOKIES
- 1 egg*
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 2/3 cups flour, plus more for dusting*
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted*
Coat your baking sheets with baking spray.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and vanilla. In a large bowl, combine the flour, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt with a wooden spoon. Mix in the egg mixture. Add the butter and stir until smooth. It may be easiest to ditch the spoon and use your hands to form the dough.
Form the dough into a ball, and divide the ball into 3 pieces. Place each piece into a plastic bag and pat the dough smooth to flatten with your hands. Refrigerate the bags for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Dust a clean, dry section of your countertop with a little flour. Take a piece of dough out of the plastic bag and place on the counter. Dust the rolling pin with a little flour and roll out the dough until it is a rectangle that is ¼ inch thick (use a ruler!). Using a cookie cutter of your choosing, cut your cookie shapes and use a spatula to lift your cutouts and transfer them to your prepared baking sheet.
Bake the cookies at 350°F for 6 to 8 minutes. Double-check that you set the timer. Because these cookies are already dark brown from the cocoa, it’s tricky to tell by sight when they are ready to take out of the oven. With oven mitts, remove the baking sheets from the oven and cool the cookies completely on the baking sheets before decorating.
Ingredients for the Glaze and Decor
- 1 tablespoon of milk*
- 1 teaspoon mint extract (optional)
- ½ cup powdered sugar food coloring (optional) crushed candy canes pretzels
In a small bowl, combine your milk with the powdered sugar, and whisk until smooth.
With your glaze in one bowl and toppings in another, dip your cookie straight into the glaze for a smooth layer, or use a spoon to drizzle and spread glaze in your favourite designs and sprinkle on the toppings. The cookie is your canvas! Lay your finished cookies on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet for a few minutes to dry before sharing.
Recipe 2: Sugar Sugar Cookies
MAKES 12-18 COOKIES
- 2 tablespoons yellow colored sugar
- 2 tablespoons blue colored sugar
- 2 tablespoons red colored sugar
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature* 1 ¼ cups sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- cups flour*
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups, (12 oz bag) white chocolate chips
Heat the oven to 350°F. Pan-spray or line two half sheet pans with parchment or a silicone baking mat. Mix the yellow, blue and red colored sugars together in a small bowl, and set aside.
Combine the sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high for 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg and vanilla extract, and mix for 4 minutes.
Add the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and paddle on low speed until just combined, about 20 seconds. Paddle in the white chocolate chips and 3 tablespoons of the colour sugar blend until just incorporated.
Using a 2 ¾ ounce ice cream scoop (or a 1/3 cup measure), scoop the dough onto prepared pans 2-3 inches apart. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar blend and bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes.
Cool the cookies slightly on sheet pans. Transfer cookies to a plate or to an airtight container for storage. At room temperature, the cookies will keep fresh for 3 days; in the freezer, they will keep for 1 month.