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Although no one likes to admit it, the holidays can be stressful. And nothing spreads a little holiday cheer like edible food humor. Well, besides brandy. And let’s face it, after a year of food recalls, food safety bills, Food Revolution and Food Feuds, who doesn’t need a little morale boost this holiday season? That’s why my Cookie Ornament for 2010 is the Christmas Ham Even a Vegetarian Will Love.
Sugar Cookie Ornaments can be used for gift tags on presents or simply piled high on a plate. You’re only limited by your cookie cutter collection and imagination. A little curling ribbon for the pig tail gives an added touch of LOL and makes an interesting handle for these Christmas Hams. Trust me, everyone will pick them up this way.
If you have decorating skills that rival my Photoshop ability, you can customize your Christmas Hams with a cuts of meat chart or personalize them with your friends’ names… just be warned — not everyone gets the humor in a pig with their name on it. At first.
This is my favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe. These cookies are substantial enough to hold their shape for decorative purposes, but soft and delicious enough to satisfy a real cookie craving! Makes three dozen cookies, depending on cookie cutter size.
Ingredients for Sugar Cookies:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) salted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 large egg
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
icing, colored decorating sugars
Icing/Glaze for One Dozen Sugar Cookies:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
DIRECTIONS:
Make the cookies. In an electric mixer cream butter and add sugar and salt. Add vanilla and egg. Add flour and mix. Gather dough and pat smooth. Cover and allow dough to chill for 1/2 hour in the freezer or 1 hour in the refrigerator. Lightly flour board and rolling pin. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into shapes. Place cookies on baking sheet.
Make the ornament. Before baking, use a wide drinking straw and poke through the dough. Bake in a preheated 325(f) oven for 10-13 minutes. If using colored sugars, sprinkle with sugars before baking. Allow to cool before icing and decorating.
Make the icing and decorate. Combine powdered sugar and milk. Whisk until smooth. Set up time for icing varies but typically hardens in about two hours. For best results, icing should be set before tying ribbon. For a faster, easier process, do not use icing, rather use colored sugars before baking. For more detailed instructions and photographs check out the original Decorated Sugar Cookies Recipe.
NOTES: For best results, chill dough before rolling. Makes about 3 dozen cookies depending on cookie cutter size. Portion icing into small batches to mix different colors. Keep baked and decorated cookies fresh in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to one week. Cookie dough can be refrigerated for two weeks or frozen up to a month.
It isn’t recommended that you decorate a tree with these ornaments for any period of time. If using as a gift tag, wrap in plastic or use clear treat bags.
Small children should not be left unattended with Cookie Ornaments. And really, when should small children be left unattended?
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Dear Average Betty,
Im your biggest fan!! These look amazing and i want to eat them!! I want to make these!! Or maybe you can make it with me when you come down. xoxo
Kee- Pain <3
LOL Kee-Pain! I’m YOUR biggest fan! Girl, you know these are in your Christmas future… you weren’t supposed to see this! Just Kidding!! <3
Nice cookies and great gift idea. I can see the kids pulling at the tree!
Thanks, redkathy! Adults may not be able to resist either :) But no pulling on the tree!!
So pretty! I must do this next year. Great idea!
Thank you Maris! Happy Holidays!!
Your cookies look so lovely and pretty. I have been looking around for good sugar cookies recipes. So far I have tried two and both are disappointing at the point when dry ingredients were combined to the wet. I didnt overbeat the mixture. The supposed to be sticky dough turned out to be runny or more like a muffin-like mixture. I am not able to get that kind of soft dough yet not stick to your fingers when u touch. It took so much effort to roll the dough and was frustrating.
Do you know what went wrong?
I will give your recipe a try for sure!
i will try these out. can i ask can u use plain flour because we dont have all purpose flour here.
thx
You sure can! All purpose is the same as plain flour ;)
My daughter and I are having a blast decorating these Xmas cookies…THANKS!!
WooHoo! My pleasure, mommie! Merry Christmas :)
Plus, you won me over with TWO tsp vanilla! The recipe is truly amazing. I’m making another batch for more decorating tomorrow!
Haha! I love vanilla :) I always add two teaspoons to everything lol :) I’m so happy you like em’ thanks a million for commenting!
hi betty can u convert this recipe into grams.
thx
Hi marissa, Here’s a handy calculator for converting to grams :) http://www.ghostcalc.com/cooking-measurement-converter.html
Love, love, love ur cute adorable pig cookies!! :)
Where did u buy the pig cookie cutter? Is it a plastic green cookie cutter?
Thks n regards,
Susanna
Thanks so much, Susanna! No — it’s an older metal cookie cutter and I really can’t remember where I got it. I’ve had it for years!! But Wilton does make a lot of great cookie cutters that are plastic (and better) and if I’m not mistaken, they have a pig… Hope this helps!
I just wanted to ask… Is there a reason there is no baking powder in your cookies? I mean they look AMAZING but just wanted to know reasoning behinde that
Thank you :)
Adrian
Hi Adrian,
Good question :) Baking powder is a leavening agent which means it makes things rise, like bread or cake. These cookies especially I want to be flat so, no baking powder. But really, most of my cookies don’t have baking powder. I prefer a chewy, soft cookie over a thick, cake-like cookie.
deer betty im your yungst fan im 8 years old great cookies and veeryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy dilishis ples make other respis to you are the best cook