Holiday Butter Cookies

🥘 Ingredients

• almond extract
  1/2 tsp
• butter (if you use unsalted, increase the salt to 1 teaspoon.)
• cookies**
• corn syrup (light, 35g)
  2 tablespoons
• egg yolk (large, see "tips," below, white reserved for topping if desired)
  1
• flour (king arthur unbleached all-purpose, 330g)
  2 3/4 cups
• food coloring (optional)
• icing**
• milk (to 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon, enough to make a pourable/spreadable icing)
  1 1/2 tablespoons
• salt
  1/2 teaspoon
• salted butter (255g, room temperature*)
  18 tablespoons
• sugar (confectioners', 142g, confectioners', 283g)
  3 1/2 cups
• sugar (coarse sparkling sugar or colored, for decorating) (optional)
  1 cup
• vanilla extract
  1 1/2 tsp

🍳 Cookware

• pan

1. 1

   Gather vanilla extract , almond extract , salted butter , food coloring , cookies** , icing** .

   vanilla extract: 1 1/2 tsp, almond extract: 1/2 tsp, salted butter: 18 tablespoons (255g, room temperature*), food coloring, cookies**, icing**
2. 2

   **To make the cookies:** Combine the sugar , butter , egg yolk , salt , and flavor, beating until smooth. Add the flour , mixing until smooth. The mixture will seem dry at first, but will suddenly come together. If it doesn't, dribble in a tablespoon of water.

   sugar: 1 cup (coarse sparkling sugar or colored, for decorating), butter (if you use unsalted, increase the salt to 1 teaspoon.), egg yolk: 1 (large, see "tips," below, white reserved for topping if desired), salt: 1/2 teaspoon, flour: 2 3/4 cups (king arthur unbleached all-purpose, 330g)
3. 3

   Divide the dough in half, shape each half into a flattened disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for ⏱️ 2 hours , or overnight. When you're ready to bake, remove the dough from the refrigerator, and let it soften for about ⏱️ 20-30 minutes , until it feels soft enough to roll. It should still feel cold, but shouldn't feel rock-hard.
4. 4

   Sprinkle your rolling surface with flour, and flour your rolling pin. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll it 1/8" to 3/16" thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut shapes. Re-roll and cut the dough scraps. Place the cookies on ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheets. They can be close together; they'll barely spread.
5. 5

   Bake the cookies in a preheated 350°F oven for ⏱️ 12-14 minutes , until they're set and barely browned around the edges.
6. 6

   Remove the cookies from the oven, and cool right on the pan . If you've used parchment, you can lift cookies and parchment off the pan, so you can continue to use the pan as the cookies cool.
7. 7

   Repeat with the remaining piece of dough, rolling, cutting, and baking cookies. When cookies are completely cool, ice and decorate.
8. 8

   **To make the icing:** Combine the sugar , milk , and corn syrup to make a soft, spreadable icing, adding more milk if necessary. This icing is a little on the thick side and isn't perfectly smooth when you apply it, but it should settle into a smooth surface within half a minute or so. (Test the consistency by glazing one cookie and set it aside for a minute, and then check the surface. If it has become smooth, it's the right consistency.) Tint the icing with food color as desired.

   sugar: 1 1/4 cups (confectioners', 142g), milk: 1 1/2 tablespoons (to 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon, enough to make a pourable/spreadable icing), corn syrup: 2 tablespoons (light, 35g)
9. 9

   Spread icing on the cookies, using a knife, a spoon, or your finger to spread it all the way to the edges. This glaze is a little on the thick side, and it isn't perfectly smooth when you apply it, but should settle into a smooth surface within half a minute or so. Glaze one cookie and set it aside for a minute. Has the glaze settled into a smooth surface? If so, it's the right consistency. Remember, it's easier to add more liquid than to stir in more sugar , so start with a glaze that's thicker than you think it should be, then add milk little by little to adjust the consistency.

   sugar: 2 1/4 cups (confectioners', 283g)
10. 10

    **Storage information:**` Store leftover cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for several days; freeze for longer storage.
11. 📝

    Servings: 5 dozen 2" cookies

12. 📝

    Tips from our Bakers

13. 📝

    Looking for a gluten-free version of this recipe? Find it here: Gluten-Free Holiday Butter Cookies.

14. 📝

    Fiori di Sicilia adds a wonderful combination of citrus and vanilla flavors to these cookies. If you prefer substitute 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, or 1 teaspoon almond extract, or a combination.

15. 📝

    To top cookies with colored sugar before baking (no icing necessary), reserve the egg white from the yolk you've used in the dough. Mix the white with 1 tablespoon water. Lightly paint the cookies with the egg white/water, sprinkle with colored sugar, and bake.