One of the best things about the Christmas Holiday or any holiday from Valentines to Halloween, is the making (and eating) of decorated cookies. Cookies made using cookie cutters in shapes related to the particular holiday and then frosted with the theme colors of the day.

When I was growing up, an annual Christmas tradition was to make these refrigerated cookies. We’d make the dough one day and let it refrigerate over night and then bake the cookies and frost them. We had a variety of cutout shapes – a coupe of different Santas, stars, reindeer, manger, candle and ornaments and wreaths. We had metal cookie cutters and deep red translucent cutters. As an adult, the tradition continues with our own set of cookie cutters.

Beyond Christmas, when I was in second grade, my Mother made a batch of heart shaped frosted cookies which I took to school for a Valentine’s Party.

As I mentioned, this recipe is for refrigerator cookies and a simple boiled sugar frosting. And while I have tasted a variety of decorated cookies over many decades, I have not found any better than what this recipe produces.

Some tips before you start regarding the recipe. Get yourself a variety of cookie cutters – plastic and metal. You can find older types on eBay or in thrift stores. And brand new ones can be purchased at a variety of department stores and grocery stores as well as online.

The cookie dough needs to be refrigerated and the recipe calls for a minimum of 4 hours, but I usually let it go overnight. Bake your cookies the next day. And then, if you want to, you can wait until a third day to frost them. Getting the cookies done in different stages works just fine, if you have a busy schedule.

These cookies are best done by a group of people, which is why they lend themselves so well to being a Family Tradition. Children and adults will love to make their own personal favorites shapes and them create works of art with different colored frosting. The more the merrier around the baking table.

I also recommend that you double the recipe to make twice as many cookies. That allows you to give a few away and still have plenty for the family to enjoy. All ingredients should be organic, and I normally slip a bit of extra vanilla in because I love vanilla.

HARKER’S FAMOUS CUTOUT COOKIES

Cookies:

3 1/2 cups flour 2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt 1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp. baking powder 2 eggs

1 cup butter

Sift first three ingredients together. Cream butter and vanilla until butter is softened. Add sugar gradually, creaming after each addition until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.

Add dry ingredients in quarters, mixing until blended after each addition.

Chill dough about 4 hours (minimum time). Remove amount of dough for single roll, keep rest refrigerated.

On lightly floured surface roll dough 1/4 inch thick. Cut with cutters. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet 400 degrees 6-8 minutes.

Frosting:

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 tbsp. light corn syrup

1/3 cup water

1 tsp. vanilla

2 egg whites

Combine sugar, water and corn syrup. Place over low heat and stir until sugar dissolves. Cook without stirring until mixture reaches 240 degrees on candy thermometer. Comment: This is the soft ball stage, if you do not have a candy thermometer.

Beat egg whites until rounded peaks are formed and egg whites don’t slide when bowl is partially inverted. Continue beating egg white while adding hot syrup, beating until frosting is very thick and forms round peaks and holds shape; fold in vanilla. This still stay soft about one hour, so be ready to frost as soon as it’s done.

Frosting is white. Divide into separate bowls for adding food coloring (blue, green, yellow, red, for example). If frosting begins to harden, reheat in pan. Frost cookies as desired.

Makes 3-4 dozen.

Happy Holidays from the Harker Family!

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