Description
Festive Sugar Cookie Mitten delights bring winter warmth to holiday tables with charming shapes and sweet memories. Cookie crafters can easily create these playful treats that connect generations through simple baking joy.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 2 ¾ cups (350 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
Binding Ingredients:
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Decorating Ingredients:
- 3 cups (375 g) powdered sugar
- 2 large egg whites or 4 tablespoons meringue powder + 4 tablespoons water
- ½ teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
- Food coloring (red, white, and festive colors)
Instructions
- Create a smooth, uniform dough by whisking flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing vessel. In a separate large bowl, cream butter and sugar until airy and pale, incorporating egg and vanilla extracts thoroughly.
- Gradually fold dry ingredients into the wet mixture, blending until a cohesive dough forms. Separate the dough into two compact disks, encase in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for minimum one hour to firm up.
- Heat oven to 350F and prepare baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly dusted surface, roll out chilled dough to a uniform 1/4-inch thickness.
- Carefully cut mitten shapes using a specialized cookie cutter, transferring delicate cutouts onto prepared baking sheets with gentle precision.
- Bake mittens for 10-12 minutes, watching for subtle golden edges. Allow cookies to rest on baking sheets for five minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
- Prepare royal icing by whipping powdered sugar with egg whites and vanilla until achieving a glossy, smooth texture. Adjust consistency by incrementally adding water.
- Separate icing into multiple bowls and introduce food coloring for vibrant designs. Use fine-tipped piping tools to outline mitten borders with precision.
- Flood inner cookie surface with thinned icing, creating smooth base layers. Embellish with intricate snowflake motifs, playful polka dots, or elegant striped patterns.
- Allow decorated cookies to dry completely, ensuring intricate designs set firmly before serving or packaging.
Notes
- Chill dough thoroughly to prevent spreading and maintain crisp mitten shapes during baking.
- Use room temperature ingredients for smoother, more consistent cookie dough that blends easily.
- Dust work surface lightly with flour to prevent sticky dough from clinging and tearing when rolling out.
- Opt for gel food coloring when decorating to achieve vibrant icing colors without altering icing consistency.
- Swap almond extract with vanilla if nut allergies are a concern or prefer pure vanilla flavor.
- Allow cookies to cool completely before icing to prevent melting and ensure clean, precise decorations.
- Store decorated cookies in single layers between parchment paper to preserve intricate icing designs.
- Experiment with different extract flavors like peppermint or orange to create unique seasonal variations.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 202
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 60 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 29 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg