‘Tis the season!
It truly is the best times of the year and one way to celebrate it is to make COOKIES. Holiday cookies are totally in…it’s like the thing to do. Everyone is baking away making their favorites…gingerbread, peanut butter kisses, chocolate, peppermint, or these simple Christmas cookies with frosting and sprinkles!
My mom makes these cookies every year so I asked her for the recipe and made them myself. My mom was raised in Sibley Iowa, a small farming town in the Northwest corner of the state. They not only ate the best comfort farm food around, but they ate the best sweet treats as well. Every year their church would put together a cook book of everyone’s favorite recipes and this just happens to be one of them. These are actually called “Deluxe Sugar Cookies. Very special. Also known as Mary’s Sugar Cookies.”
Thank you Mary…your cookies are amazing!
Now, my mom changed just a few things, like adding more almond because she’s Dutch. Things aren’t Dutch unless there’s almond in them.
She also makes her own frosting and she couldn’t tell me the measurements, but she uses powdered sugar, butter, water, vanilla, almond, and hot water or hot coffee.
Hot water or coffee? Yes, she dips the knife in it before spreading the frosting on the cookies because it makes the frosting shiny. I didn’t necessarily do this for all of the cookies, but I did try the hot water and it works! It makes the frosting glow. You can totally see it in the pictures.
I am not going to lie to ya – these are a little work but it’s the most wonderful time of the year!! It’s fun to enjoy the most classic cookie there is around the holidays and let’s be honest, we are probably only making these once a year so it’s doable right?
I also found that I can make these much quicker now that I have made them a few times. The first couple of times, it takes awhile, but once you get comfortable you can whip these up in no time. They’re also a great cookie to make with the kiddos – they will love decorating them!
Not to mention, they look so darling on platter. So if you have any holiday parties to attend, these are your cookies!
Fa la la la la, la la la la….
Don’t forget to pin this recipe on Pinterest by clicking the image below!
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1½ cups confectioners' sugar (my mom uses granulated)
- 1 egg
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ teaspoon almond extract
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 3 cups confectioners sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 2-4 tablespoons water
- Food coloring
- Sprinkles for decorating
- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar; set aside.
- In a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract and mix for another minute, scraping down sides of bowl.
- Lastly, add the bowl of dry ingredients and mix.
- Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.
- Divide dough in half and roll out ¼ inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut into desired shapes and place on baking sheet. Bake 7-8 minutes. Cookies shouldn't brown at all so watch carefully. Let cool completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting beat the powdered sugar and butter on low speed. It will be crumbly. Next add the vanilla and almond extract and 1 tablespoon of water and beat until it comes together. Continue to add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until the frosting reaches the desired consistency. Divide the frosting into bowls and add food coloring of choice and mix with a spoon.
- Frost cookies, decorate with sprinkles and enjoy. The frosting will lightly harden, but be careful when storing them on top of each other in a container as they may smudge.
Source: Sibley Iowa Church Cook Book
So cute! We haven’t made sugar cookies yet but they are on the to-do list!