The Elegant Snowflake
This Christmas I made a lot of different cutout cookies...angels, snowy trees, ornaments, animals, clothing. But the shape that kept calling to me was the snowflake. So-o-o I made a lot of snowflakes: big, tiny, with holes, without holes, elegant, simple, even some dipped in chocolate! I just couldn't seem to get enough. Those of you who received my Christmas cookie packages this year know what I mean because, more likely than not, you found a box of pretty showflakes on your doorstep.
“Like snowflakes, my Christmas memories gather and dance—each beautiful, unique, and gone too soon.” Deborah Whipp
Now that Christmas is over, I see no reason to put away the snowflake cookie cutters just yet. It’s still winter and snow is still falling...at least in the northern hemisphere. There’s something so elegant and timeless in a snowflake. Each one is unique and they only last for a second. I’m going to enjoy the snowflake for a few more weeks and I hope you will share that sense of wonder and delight with me.
Cookie specifics
Lofthouse-Style Sugar Cookies. The showflakes are made with a delicious Lofthouse-style sugar cookie recipe. It produces a soft and chewy cookie that’s perfect for cutting out any shape, even the most delicate snowflakes. I also decorated them with a thick vanilla-bean glaze that dries hard enough to stack but keeps its shine and glass-like appearance. I sprayed several of them with edible gold paint to add to the elegance, but used white glaze for the embellishments for a beautiful color contrast.
Sizes
Sizes range from mini (almost 2 inches) to medum-large (3 inches in diameter). I do have two very large snowflake cookie cutters (about 8 inches), but didn’t use those for this project. By the way, 2½ to 3 inches is my favorite size cookie for decorating and eating.
Shapes
Showflakes of all shapes and sizes, some with cutouts that come as part of the cookie cutter, and some that get a little assistance from straws or my assortment of tiny geometric shapes to add the cutouts. Sometimes I use a small blade to make the cutouts by hand.
Solid-shape Cookie Cutters
Cookie Cutter Shapes with Cutouts
I purchased these on amazon.com.
My Own Family Recipe
Lofthouse-Style Sugar Cookie. Recipe based on several sugar cookie recipes from family and friends. My goal was to make a cookie full of flavor that would hold its shape for delicate cutouts but not end up hard as a rock. This is it!
Cookies
Lofthouse Style Sugar Cookies: flour, cornstarch, baking powder, sugar, confectioners’ sugar, butter, eggs, pure vanilla extract, salt
Icing & Decorative Embellishments
Vanilla Glaze: sugar, water, corn syrup, clear vanilla for flavoring, white food coloring (to make the white glaze very bright-white)
Wilton Gold Color Mist: alcohol, glycerin, food coloring
Plate, Box or Bag?
Box. I gifted many boxes of these elegant snowflakes to family and friends. I like to package them in a cardboard bakery box with a clear window on top that makes the contents visible to anyone who wants to peek. The dainty shapes sparkle back at you through the window.
Bags. I also gave individual snowflakes as gifts and those I wrapped in clear, food-safe bags, secured with a twist tie. This also makes the cookies stackable without causing damage to the decorations. The snowflakes with holes in them are a bit fragile, but the broken pieces are just as delicious as the whole cookies!
Mailing. I included snowflakes in a lot of the holiday packages I mailed to my family and friends throughout the U.S. I always send them Priority Mail through the U.S. Post Office. I use the boxes provided by the Post Office and lots of bubble wrap. In almost all cases, the cookies arrive undamaged, although a few people reported a broken cookie or two. Even those were happily eaten. I know the packages are appreciated when they arrive because of the texts I get with all those smiling faces.
What I’ve learned...
These cookies were made with the best ingredients I could find and baked in small batches. I’ve experimented with less expensive ingredients, but have come to the conclusion that flavor is best when I use the best. Why spend all this time baking and decorating if taste and texture are just so-so? Decorating the cookies takes time, but it’s an enjoyable process for me and I know that those who receive them appreciate that. Life is just better when you can share something you love with someone you love. Don’t you agree?
Leave a comment