Cut Out Sugar Cookies with Almond Icing

I didn’t grow up in a Christmas cookie making family.  In fact, we didn’t even leave Santa cookies, we left him a BLT (which just happened to be one of my dads favorite foods…and yet somehow I never put that together). 

I started making Christmas cookies myself in my early 20s and have tweaked and perfected them over the years. It rolls out beautifully, holds it’s shape without spreading, and has a perfectly soft texture.  I’ve had the actual cookie recipe written and been able to give it out to those who ask for a few years now but I never actually measured out everything for my icing until just this past week to be able to post it. I’ve always just done it without measuring so I had to finally dial it in, but I think I’ve got it. 

Before I set you free with the recipe, I wanted to go over a few things that’s a are key to getting these cookies perfect.

Dough

Don’t overwork your dough. After you’ve added in all the flour, let it mix just enough to incorporate through but don’t let it go forever in the mixer.  Your dough will be very sticky and you will wonder how in the hell you will be able to roll this sticky mess out.  Scoop the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Using the plastic, form it into a ball and press down lightly to create a disc. Wrap tightly and refrigerate overnight (which is what I do) or at least 3 hours until the dough is very firm.

Oven Temperature

I bake my cookies at 325 because my oven is vintage and small, so 350 is too high for such a small amount of space.  I’m not telling you that you HAVE to bake your cookies at 325 (instead of the 350 people think they must bake everything at), I just encourage you to assess how powerful and hot your oven gets. You want to be able to bake your cookies all the way through without them getting too brown. A super hot oven will brown them too much before the centers are cooked.

Bake Time

I bake my cookies for 9 minutes. Every. Single. Time.  That’s what’s I’ve figured out for my oven, but yours might very slightly. I’d say 9-11 minutes is the range, but check at 9. You can always pop them back in if they aren’t done but there’s no unbaking (I’m making that a word) an over baked cookie.  
I feel like most people over bake their cookies across the board. I took some pictures to show you want to look for. As you can see, the bottoms are quite light. Some are darker than others due to their size and being on the edges of the pan versus the center, bit overall none are very dark. A lot of times people have this idea that the entire bottom must be brown for the cookie to be done but that’s not the case with these at all. They can be quite light and still be cooked all the way through and soft. 

Icing

This is a crusting icing. Crusting is a gross word isn’t it? Lol So what does that mean when it comes to icing? It means that the top “crusts” or hardens just enough that the cookie won’t smudge and after they have been allowed to sit and crust over they can eventually be stacked up on each other without issue. Basically, the icing won’t stay a sticky mess (think how canned storebought frostings always stay soft) but also won’t get as hard as a Royal icing would. This is right in the middle. 

Rolling

Allow the dough to sit for about 5 minutes out of the fridge before rolling. It will be stiff at first but once you get rolling it will be easy. I like to roll my dough out on lightly floured parchment paper or wax paper. It just makes clean up easier but you can do it directly on the counter too.
I roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thick, maybe a little more (but not 1/2 inch) This thickness will result in a thick and soft cookie that will hold up well while icing without breaking. 

Icing

I always made the icing without a recipe by mixing it up in a bowl and waiting 15 mins or so to make sure the top crusted over. If it didn’t, I would add a bit more powdered sugar and try again. Now that I have the ratio down I won’t have to do that anymore!  The icing will be thick and almost elastic in texture but this is what is necessary in order for it to crust properly and set up. 

Divide it up and add food coloring as desired. Personally, I keep it pretty simple and do 3, maaaaayybeee 4 colors and let the sprinkles do the rest of the jazzing up.  Make sure you sprinkle quickly after frosting so that they stick before it starts to set up.

I think that’s all the tips I have.  Enjoy your cookie baking and decorating!

Cut Out Sugar Cookies

Dough

3 sticks butter, softened 
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract 
2 tsp. baking powder 
1 tsp. salt 
5 cups all purpose flour 

Icing 

4 cups powdered sugar 
4 tb. corn syrup (it will make the icing shiny)
3 tb. milk, nut milk, or water 
1 1/4 tsp. almond extract


Cream your sugar and butter in mixer until fluffy and pale in color, scraping down the sides at least twice to ensure everything is creamed together well. 

Once the butter and sugar mixture is light and fluffy, add your eggs one at a time until incorporated evenly. Then, stir in your vanilla. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together your flour, salt, and baking powder. 

Add the dry flour mix gradually into the wet ingredients (try adding in thirds), scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed until it is all incorporated. Don’t over mix. 

Scoop the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Form into a ball and then press down lightly to create a disc. Cover tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or at least 3 hours until the dough is fully chilled and stiff.

When ready, roll out onto a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick (can be slightly thicker too). Cut with cookie cutters and place on an ungreased cookie sheet (the scraps can be rolled back up and chilled again for rerolling) 

Bake in a 325 oven for 9-12 minutes or until center’s are set and bottoms or very lightly browned. Do not over bake. 

Allow to cool completely before icing. 

To make the icing, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Allow it to sit out for about 15 minutes uncovered and check to make sure it crusts. To test, touch the top surface of the icing lightly with your finger. If it sticks, it did not crust and you will
need to add a little more powdered sugar.  Divide up and add food coloring as desired. 



If you're looking for a thin and chewy sugar cookie as opposed to this thick and soft recipe, I have you covered there too! Check out my soft and chewy sugar cookies

I didn’t grow up in a Christmas cookie making family.  In fact, we didn’t even leave Santa c

Lemony Shrimp Roll

I love a good shrimp roll but it's not something I eat very often.  I don't know why because they are super easy and perfect for hot weather.  I like mine to be light on the mayo (which is saying something because I love mayo) and high on the freshness and brightness.  Lemon is what does the job through both the zest and the juice. A little onion gives some bite, celery for crunch, and the shrimp provides some natural sweetness.  

You can use this recipe and swap out the shrimp for crab, lobster...whatever! Any of them will work perfectly.  I used Argentinian shrimp.  "The lobster of shrimps."

I bought them raw, but feel fry to buy precooked shrimp if you want.  I poached them for about 2 minutes in water that had a lemon squeezed into it (I threw in the rinds for extra flavor) and some garlic powder.  After the two minutes, I shocked them in ice water and then patted dry before chopping into large chunks.

I noticed a lot of recipes on the internet emphasize keeping the shrimp whole or only cutting them in half.  I am different in that i HATE taking a bite of a sandwich and taking half the meat with me and leaving behind some lonely bread.  If the shrimp is chunked up that's much less likely to happen and it will blend in with the onion and celery for a better bite of all the flavors and textures.

I was trying to achieve the look of the traditional new england roll and the closest I could find were these brioche hot dog buns from the Walmart.  They were pretty darn good!  I toasted the sides of it in a low pan with butter to add a little texture and color.

Enough talking, let's get to the recipe!

Lemony Shrimp Roll

1 pound cooked shrimp cut into large chunks (may sub crab or lobster)

1 stalk celery, small diced

2 green onions, sliced

1/4 cup heaping mayo (basically 1/4 cup plus a tablespoon)

1 small lemon zested

2 Tb. lemon juice

3/4 tsp. Old Bay seasoning

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Hot dog buns 

Butter to pan toast buns

Combine the chopped shrimp, celery, green onion, mayo, lemon zest, lemon juice, old bay, and salt. 

Lightly butter the hot dog buns and pan toast over low heat to get a gentle crunch and light golden brown color.

Spoon the shrimp mixture into the roll just before eating to keep from getting soggy.

Coconut Cream Pie with a Coconut Cookie Crust

I’m about to say something really controversial here.  In fact, it might even get me cancelled.  I can’t even believe I’m about to admit this.......but cheesecake is hella overrated.

 

There, I said it. 

 

I know a lot of people love it, but it’s an easy pass for me.  That is, except for one thing: that graham cracker crust.  That buttery, grahamy, sweet but not TOO sweet, shell of deliciousness.  I always eat a bite or two of the actual cheesecake filling so I don’t look completely wasteful....then I just go for the crust after that.

 

So what does cheesecake have to do with coconut cream pie? Well, it was the inspiration for my pie crust.

 

I knew I wanted to make my coconut cream pie for the summer and wondered how I could make it even better.  Coconut cookies! Instead of graham crackers I would make the crust from coconut cookies.  Let me tell ya, it did not disappoint. Here are the cookies I used:

 

I used 2 cups of cookie crumbs (which was about 2 1/4 sleeves).  This makes for a nice thick bottom crust which is exactly what I’m looking for.  It is just as lightly sweet and buttery as your traditional graham cracker crust but with an added hint of coconut flavor that takes it over the top.  Combined with a coconut custard and whipped cream you have a delicious summer dessert. 

 

Coconut Cream Pie with Coconut Cookie Crust

Crust

2 cups coconut cookie crumbs

1/2 cup melted butter

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Coconut Custard

1 can unsweetened coconut milk

1 1/2 cups half and half

3 egg yolks

1 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup corn starch

1 cup shredded coconut (plus an extra 1/4 cup toasted for garnish)

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Whipped Cream

1 1/4 cup heavy cream

2 TB. powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

To make the crust, stir together the coconut cookie crumbs, melted butter, and sugar.  Press tightly into a 9 inch pie plate, going up the sides as well.  Bake in a 350 oven for 8 minutes.  Cool completely before filling with the custard.

In a saucepan, gently bring the coconut milk and half and half to a simmer over medium low heat.

While you are waiting for the milks to simmer, whisk the yolks, sugar, and cornstarch together in a medium to large bowl (big enough to also hold the milk/coconut mixture) This mixture will be thick,

When the coconut/milk mixture has come to a simmer, temper it into the egg yolk/sugar/cornstarch mixture by adding a small amount of the liquid at a time while whisking constantly to incorporate.  Keep adding the liquid while whisking until is is all incorporated into the egg mix (this method keeps the eggs from curdling)  

One this mixture is tempered and combined, pour it all back into the sauce pan. Bring it up to a boil slowly over medium low heat, whisking often to keep from lumping or burning.  (cornstarch does not thicken fully until it is brought to a full boil)  Once the mixture has boiled and thickened, remove it from the heat and stir in the vanilla and shredded coconut

Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before pouring int your cookie pie crust. Allow the pie to cool at least an hour before adding the whipped cream (so nothing gets melty)

To make the whipped cream, place your bowl and whisk attachment or hand mixer whisks in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.  Remove from the freezer and add the heavy cream and sugar to the bowl.  Whip until it forms a stiff cream. Stir in the vanilla at the end.  

Top the custard pie with the whipped cream and top with toasted coconut. Serve chilled.