Red and Green Christmas
As everyone knows, red and green are the traditional colors for Christmas. Red Santa hats. Green Christmas trees. Red ribbons. Green garlands. Red and green icing on Christmas cutout cookies. Perfect.
“Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.” Hamilton Wright Mabie
Unfortunately, I lost all but one of my photos of these cutout cookies, which leaves this page a bit wanting. Instead of complaining, I’m going to consider it a challenge...a challenge to make traditional red and green Christmas cookies this year. Come back in December and see how they turned out.
Cookie specifics
The batch in my lone photo above is made using my “Classic Sugar Cookie” recipe and decorated with vanilla-bean glaze for the base-coat and the embellishments. Eventually, I’ll expand that to include a couple of other favorite recipes and decorating techniques. Afterall, red and green go well with every flavor of cookie, right?
Shapes
snowflakes, ornaments, Christmas trees (more to come)
Sizes
Sizes range from 2 to 4 inches. 2½ to 3 inches is my favorite size for decorating and eating!
Old (and New) Family Recipe
Classic Sugar Cookie. A recipe based on one from Mrs. Gregor, a neighbor of my mom’s when she was a newlywed.
Cookies
Classic Sugar Cookies: flour, butter, granulated sugar, egg, pure vanilla extract, baking powder, salt
Icing & Decorative Embellishments
Vanilla-Bean Glaze: sugar, water, corn syrup, food coloring (optional), vanilla extract for flavoring
Plate, Box or Bag?
Plate. I made enough to satisfy my family at home and send a few dozen across the country. So the ones for here were put on a pretty Christmas plate. The ones I mailed were wrapped in individual clear, food-safe bags and put in a box.
Bags. The cookies I mailed were wrapped individually in clear, food-safe bags, secured with a twist tie and then put into airtight freezer bags to give them a little extra protection during their journey.
Mailing. I mailed cookies 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.
What I’ve learned...
These cookies were made with the best ingredients I could find and baked in a small batch of two dozen. 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?
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