Tag Archives: cut-out cookies

Easy Lemon Cut-out Cookies

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Ruthanne

These brightly colored Easter cookies have a hint of lemon and a creamy sweet filling. This cut-out recipe is REALLY easy to roll out and I used Linzer cookie cutters to make them into fun sandwich cookies.

Cookies:

INGREDIENTS:

1 c. margarine
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1 t. lemon juice
2 T. whipping cream
3 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking powder

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream together margarine and sugar.
Add egg, vanilla and whipping cream and mix.
Add lemon juice and mix until completely combined.
Add dry ingredients and mix well.
To color the dough: I divided the dough into 3 smaller bowls and colored it using Wilton Icing Colors. I love this food coloring…it says its for icing but I use it in everything– it makes things SO bright and doesn’t change the consistency of what you add it to.
Use a little additional flour to make your dough a good rolling consistency. Using a flour-coated rolling pin, roll the dough out on a flour-coated surface.
Cut your cookies using any cookie cutters you like. I used Springtime Shapes Linzer Cookie Cutters and I just LOVE the way they turned out. Just cut solid cookies for the backs and for the tops use the tiny shapes to cut bunnies and chicks and flowers from the center of each cookie. It IS a little fussy, but worth it in the end!
However you choose to cut them, place the cookies on parchment paper- covered cookies sheets and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes (check for a slightly browned edge).
Cool and frost.

Frosting:

INGREDIENTS:

3 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. Crisco
1/4 c. milk
Wilton Icing Colors

DIRECTIONS:

Cream together the powdered sugar and Crisco.
Add the milk and blend until a smooth spreadable consistency. Divide frosting and color in as many colors as you want.
Frost and enjoy!

My thoughts: I love these Linzer cookie cutters. I got them last fall when I made cookies for both Halloween and Christmas and I’ve been waiting for spring to arrive so I could try this set out– they are just so much fun.

I really think you will like this dough– it rolls out beautifully even with no refrigeration ahead. If you want an easier cookie, just use traditional cookie cutters and have fun with all the bright colors! Enjoy! r-

17 Comments

Posted in Cookies and tagged baking, cookies, cut-out cookies, dessert, easter, easter dessert, kids recipe, lemon cookies, Linzer cookies, sandwich cookies, spring dessert, sugar cookies. Bookmark the permalink.

Chocolate Cut-out Cookies

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Ruthanne

These easy-to-make chocolate cut-outs can be used to create so many wonderful Christmas treats. Here, I used Christmas Linzer Cookie Cutters to make fun Christmas sandwich cookies. These rich, cocoa-flavored cookies just might be your family’s new favorite cookie!

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 c. margarine
1/2 c. brown sugar (packed)
1/4 c. cocoa powder
1 T. milk
1/4 t. baking soda
2/3 to 1 c. flour

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Beat together all ingredients but soda and flour, mixing until smooth and creamy.
Add soda and flour. Add flour until dough can be handled and rolled into a ball.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough and cut. Place cookies on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 5 to 6 minutes.
Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheet completely.
Gently remove and decorate. I used Wiltons Candy Melts between my sandwich layers, but you could use frosting as well

My thoughts: These have such a wonderful cocoa flavor and they are very easy to make. They roll out nicely and bake without rising too much. If you are using a Linzer cutter, make sure you don’t roll your dough too thin- the top cookies (the ones with the shapes cut out) may break once they are baked. Thicker worked better for me.

Also– this is a small batch of cookies. If you are making sandwich cookies like mine you will only get about 20 cookies. You can easily double the recipe for more though. I hope you and your family love these– enjoy!

7 Comments

Posted in Cookies and tagged baking, chocolate, christmas, cookies, cut-out cookies, dessert, easy recipe, holiday, Linzer cookies. Bookmark the permalink.

Maple Cream Ginger Snaps

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Ruthanne

Tangy ginger cookies filled with sweet maple cream. Cut them into fun fall shapes for your Halloween party!

INGREDIENTS:

Cookies:

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup dark molasses
2 T. vinegar
5 cups flour
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 t. ground ginger
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. ground cloves

Maple cream:

2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
1/4 c. melted butter
1 t. maple flavoring
Food coloring

DIRECTIONS:

Cream together butter and sugar.
Beat in egg, molasses and vinegar.
Blend in sifted dry ingredients.
Chill 2-3 hours (this is important– the dough is very easy to roll after chilling)
Roll 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch thick on a floured counter or board (thinner is better!)
Cut dough into small, equally-sized cookies (if you want to make cookies with cute cut-outs on one side, I used Halloween Linzer Cookie Cutters)
Place on greased cookie sheets.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 7-10 minutes. Check often- take out when cookies have risen and are easily removed from sheet.
To make maple cream, combine powdered sugar, melted butter and a little water until a thick frosting consistency is reached.
Add maple flavoring (you can add vanilla if you don’t like maple)
Divide cream into 2 bowls and color as desired with food coloring. (my maple flavoring added a brown tint to my filling, so I just experimented with coloring to reach the shade I wanted– use gels so that you don’t dilute it!)
Frost one cookie’s back and top with another cookie. The filling will harden up and make these very easy to store and serve.
ENJOY!

My thoughts: These are a really unique flavor. I love them– ginger and maple– YUM! The ginger cookies are my grandma’s recipe and they don’t rise much so I thought they’d be perfect for this type of cookie cutter. Roll them thin though– thicker cookies don’t keep the inside cut-out shape as well. I’ve never used a Linzer cookie cutter (I’ve no idea how its SUPPOSED to be used- I will probably read the directions eventually!) but it worked just great with this cookie recipe and these make me smile 🙂

13 Comments

Posted in Cookies and tagged cookies, cut-out cookies, dessert, fall dessert, gingersnaps, Halloween, halloween party treat, maple. Bookmark the permalink.

Gingerbread Cut-out Cookies

Posted on September 11, 2011 by Ruthanne

These gingerbread cookies are my favorite gingerbread cookies ever. They are a recipe that I got from my grandma (a WONDERFUL cook and baker) many many years ago. I never tried making them because, well, grandma always made them! I have wonderful memories of arriving late at their house after a long drive through Christmas traffic and having a plate of these with milk before bed. My dad and I pretty much ate these by the handful every Christmas season.

My grandma passed away suddenly last week. When I got back home after the funeral I remembered this recipe and knew I finally needed to try my hand at it- even if it isn’t Christmas yet. They turned out beautifully and taste just like grandma’s – tasting them reminded me of all the wonderful things I will miss about her.

So, in honor of grandma Ruth- the best gingerbread cookie recipe ever:

INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

Cream together butter and sugar.
Beat in egg, molasses and vinegar.
Blend in sifted dry ingredients.
Chill 2-3 hours (this is important– the dough is very easy to roll after chilling)
Roll 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch thick on a floured counter or board and cut into shapes.
Place on greased cookie sheets.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes. Check often- take out when cookies have risen and are easily removed from sheet.
Frost as desired (I used royal icing from sugar cookies recipe)

My thoughts: Thanks grandma- for all the fun and memories and yummy home cooked meals– and most of all for all the love though all of my years. Someday we will all meet together again in heaven. Love you…

29 Comments

Posted in Cookies and tagged Christmas cookies, cookies, cut-out cookies, dessert, gingerbread, gingerbread cookies, old-fashioned gingerbread cookies, sweets. Bookmark the permalink.

Cookie Cutter Brownies

Posted on June 25, 2011 by Ruthanne

Make a dessert that everyone will love at your holiday parties! Brownies cut into shapes and dipped in white chocolate— so. much. FUN!!!!

INGREDIENTS:

1c. butter
2c. sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1/2c. cocoa
1/2tsp. salt
1c. milk
1 1/2 bags of Wiltons Candy Melts (in whatever colors you want!)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350.
Cream butter and sugar together.
Beat in eggs, cocoa, vanilla and salt.
Add flour and milk (alternating them and mixing well in between)
Spread evenly in greased jelly roll pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until done in center and just starting to pull away from sides.
Cool completely
Using a sharp cookie cutter, cut small shapes out of the brownies. (I just used my finger to gently push the brownie out of the cutter and onto a cutting board.

Place excess brownie pieces into a freezer bag and freeze for another day (we are having brownie sundaes later this week!) 🙂
Melt each color of candy melt in separate bowls, microwaving for 30 second increments and stirring in between until smooth.
GENTLY set brownie cut-out into melted chocolate and scoop chocolate over the top. Lift out with fork and tap excess chocolate off. Place on parchment paper to harden.

Decorate with sprinkles or by drizzling candy melts over the top.

My thoughts: These are SO much fun to make!!! The brownies are very easy to cut into shapes- its a good “cake- like” brownie recipe (you would not want to use a fudge brownie with this!) The hardest part is dipping them in the candy melts. Its not NEARLY as difficult as those crazy cake-pops, but you do have to be gentle and really keep your fork and bowl edge clean as crumbs can get into the melted chocolate and ruin the texture of it. If you want to skip the chocolate coating part you could easily just decorate these cute little brownies with frosting too! Enjoy!

Dedicating this recipe to all the people in my life who serve or have served our country in the military— THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!