Photo Credit: Ryan RiveraEvery Christmas Eve, my family and I would make sugar cookies together. We'd decorate them and, of course, eat them. But my son would always make sure that we leave a plateful of cookies and a glass of milk for Santa before we go to sleep.
On Christmas morning, he rushes down the stairs to see if Santa ate the cookies. When he sees an empty plate and empty glass, he starts jumping up and down in excitement. "Santa was here! Santa was here!" And then he makes a mad dash to the Christmas tree and the joy of opening presents soon follows. It's these special moments during the holidays that I treasure so much. I just feel so blessed that I'm able to have these wonderful traditions with my kids despite their food allergies.
These egg-free sugar cookies are sort of an updated version of the
Christmas sugar cookies I posted a couple of years ago. I've made a few adjustments to the recipe to make them easier to roll and cut into shapes. You can also make slice-and-bake cookies with this dough if you're short on time. Just roll the cookie dough into a log, chill it in the fridge until firm and then just slice and bake them.
Photo Credit: Ryan RiveraI also figured out how to make an egg-free royal icing that pipes very smoothly and dries hard just like regular royal icing. I'm planning to use this royal icing for some gingerbread houses we're planning to make this week. I tested it out on my little gingerbread man and he seems to be happy with it.
Happy Holidays everyone and have fun making delicious desserts!
Egg-Free Sugar CookiesMakes about 4 dozen cookiesAllergy Note: contains wheat and dairy ingredients3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in a bow. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla extract and milk. Slowly add in the dry ingredients. Divide the cookie dough in half, form them into discs and wrap them in wax paper or plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for about 1 hour or until slightly firm.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, take out one of the discs and roll it to about 1/4 inches thick. Cut into shapes and transfer onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. This dough can get a little too soft to handle at room temperature so you may have to return it to the refrigerator after rolling and cutting your first batch of cookies. You can bring out the second disc when you're ready to roll and cut the second batch for baking. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the golden brown around the edges. Cool completely before decorating.
Egg-Free Royal IcingMakes about 2 1/2 cupsAllergy Note: contains dairy ingredients2 oz. cream cheese, softenend to room temperature
2 Tbs. corn syrup
1 tsp. flavoring or extract (vanilla, peppermint, lemon, almond)
1/4 cup milk
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
food coloring (for best results, use gel or paste like Wilton Icing Colors)
Using an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese, corn syrup and flavoring until smooth. Mix in milk. Slowly add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time until the frosting is at the desired consistency. Decorate the cookies either by piping the icing using a pastry bag or spreading it onto the cookie with a spoon or an offset spatula. Allow the icing to dry for 24 hours before transfering the decorated cookies.
Please check these Art of Dessert links for additional decorating tips and icing recipes: Egg-Free Gingerbread Man (with dairy-free alternative) Egg-Free Gingerbread House(with dairy-free alternative)Egg-Free Christmas Sugar Cookies
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