These cute cookies are easy, fun and quick to make for the holidays using a star shaped cookie cutter and canned white frosting. Just be sure to make enough for everyone to enjoy them.
Cookies:
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 t. vanilla extract
1 t. almond extract
1 egg
3 c. flour
2 t. baking powder
Decorations:
16 oz. can ready-made white icing
red sugar crystals
1 tube black gel icing
18 - 20 red cinnamon candies like red hots or red mini candy-coated chocolate
1/2 c. mini marshmallows
Cookies:
In a large mixing bowl, mix powdered sugar, butter, vanilla extract, almond extract and egg.
Stir flour and baking powder together, then add to wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. Flatten dough into a disc; wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Unwrap dough; roll out on a lightly floured surface about 1/4 inch thick.
Use a star shaped cookie cutter to cut as many stars as possible from the dough, dipping the cookie cutter in flour before cutting each cookie. Remove scraps; transfer stars onto prepared cookie sheets. Shape scraps into a cohesive ball; add more dough to the ball; roll and cut until no dough remains.
Before baking, bend one tip of each star cookie over slightly to form Santa’s hat.
Bake each batch of cookies 7–8 minutes. Allow cookies to cool completely before decorating.
Decorating:
Coat top of cookies completely in white icing, not worrying about making icing smooth, swoops and swirls are fine.
Sprinkle or dip the ‘hat’ part in red sugar crystals, being careful not to get any on other areas. Use a butter knife to scrape the icing from a small area under the hat for Santa’s face.
Place 2 small dots of black gel icing in the area where the icing has been removed; place a red candy on the face to form the nose. Add a small dab of white icing to one side of a mini marshmallow; place on the end of the hat to make a pom-pom. Repeat with all remaining cookies.
Makes 18 - 24 cookies.