Description
Delightful shortbread cutout cookies perfect for festive occasions, featuring a tender buttery base with sweet vanilla icing and decorative touches like rosemary wreaths and white chocolate Santa hats.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all purpose flour gluten free if needed
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons milk
Decorations
- 4 ounces white chocolate
- Rosemary sprigs, sprinkles, sanding sugar for decorating
- Red food coloring oil-based
Instructions
- Make the Dough: Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl with an electric mixer and beat on medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes until smooth. Scrape down the sides, add powdered sugar, and beat again for 1 minute.
- Combine Ingredients: Add vanilla bean paste and salt, beat until incorporated, scraping the bowl as needed. Add flour and cornstarch and beat on medium-low until dough forms, scraping down sides and continuing to mix until the dough pulls away from the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
- Roll and Cut: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Flour a work surface and roll dough to 1/4 inch thick. Use floured round cookie cutters to cut out cookies and wreath shapes. Gather scraps and re-roll as needed. Arrange cookies 1 inch apart on baking sheet and chill for 15-30 minutes.
- Bake Cookies: Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake for 10 minutes, rotating halfway through, until edges are set and lightly golden. Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare Icing: Whisk powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk in a shallow dish until smooth and lump-free. Dip cooled cookies upside down into icing carefully and lift out gently.
- Decorate Wreaths: Place rosemary sprigs on cookies and sprinkle before icing sets. Add 2-3 small rosemary pieces on each side and 3 red sprinkles underneath plus more sprinkles around the cookie for decoration.
- Decorate Santa Hats: Let remaining cookies set on the baking sheet. Melt white chocolate and place some in a pastry bag. Mix remaining white chocolate with red oil-based food coloring and fill another piping bag. Use small tips to pipe hat shapes by swirling back and forth, add white chocolate details for the rim and top, then sprinkle sanding sugar. Optionally, use green food coloring to create Christmas tree shapes.
Notes
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- For longer storage, freeze baked undecorated cookies up to 3 months; thaw before decorating.
- You can also freeze rolled dough up to 3 months and bake directly from frozen.
- Use oil-based food coloring with white chocolate to avoid seizing; water-based colorings like gel will cause the chocolate to seize.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 60 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
