2025 Holiday Gift Guide

Holiday Gift Guide 2025 | 9

sugar cookies 1 teaspoon almond extract 1 teaspoon salt Melt in your mouth Cut-out Christmas

METRO CREATIVE SERVICES B aking cookies is a holiday tradition. Although there are many different cookie recipes out there, no cookie- baking session is complete without traditional sugar cookies. Sugar cookies are ideal for cutting and decorating, which makes them great selections for holiday baking sessions. This recipe for “Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies” from “Butter, Flour, Sugar, Joy” (Sourcebooks) by Danielle Kartes is perfect for family baking sessions this holiday season. Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies Yields two dozen cookies Cookies 11⁄2 cups confectioners’ sugar 1 cup butter, softened 2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened 1 egg Seeds scraped from one vanilla bean

with parchment paper. Roll the dough on a floured surface into a 1⁄4-inch thick rough circle and use your favorite cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Place them on the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake 12 to 14 minutes, until set. Continue this process until you’ve used up all the dough. Cool cookies on sheets of foil and frost once completely cool. These cookies are fine to eat right away, but Kartes feels they get their signature touch when frosted and left out overnight. The author does not put them away until the next morning. For the frosting, cream the butter, cream cheese, almond extract, and salt until light and fluffy; slowly add the confectioners’ sugar. Kartes likes hers less sweet, so she uses 4 cups of confectioners’ sugar, but you may use up to 6 cups. Feel free to color small bowls of the frosting and decorate the cookies with sprinkles or tiny candies.

21⁄2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Cream Cheese Frosting 1 cup butter, softened 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened 1 teaspoon almond extract 1 pinch salt 4-6 cups confectioners’ sugar In a stand mixer, with a hand mixer, or by hand, cream the sugar, butter, and cream cheese together in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes; add the egg, vanilla, almond extract, and salt; mix well. Add the flour and cream of tartar and mix by hand until it just comes together. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes, but overnight is best. When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 F and line two baking sheets

Tiede’s

Second Hand Store Antiques-Collectibles-Books 417 Highway 30, Overton, NE 68863 Lois Stone 308-920-1381 Facebook.com/teapots2 Open Saturday 8 am to 5 pm

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