It can't be said that the holidays are just around the corner. Still, maybe it's the right time to plan some things ahead to welcome that carefree period. For example, you can design a Christmas table or decoration. You have plenty of time to change your ideas along the way until you get to the right one.
You can do the same when it comes to Christmas cookies. You may be buying them, you may be making them, but one thing is for sure - without these treats, no one can imagine this celebration. Sweet aromas of cinnamon, vanilla, and chocolate spreading around the house, a hot drink, and a gathered, cheerful family, are the idea of an ideal holiday for many families.
You probably have some 'tested' recipe that still doesn't turn out very well every time. The taste may be nice, but the problem is texture, shape, decoration, etc. If you don't know what you're doing wrong, you have plenty of time to improve your culinary skills. This article will list some tips that might inspire you.
Visit the page below to learn more about the tradition of making Christmas cookies:
https://www.history.com/news/the-medieval-history-of-the-christmas-cookie
Use Quality Ingredients
Those who decide to make Christmas cookies from scratch have more control over the end product. It means a better chance of making treats that look and taste spectacular. A combination of skilled hands and good ingredients is always a winning one.
It's not set in stone that you have to use the most expensive ingredients to make your Christmas sweet treats yummy and well-accepted by your guests. But you shouldn't skimp and use cheap substitutes for certain ingredients either.
Perhaps the most important of all the tips on making Christmas cookies is to choose your ingredients carefully. Some people like to add nuts and raisins to the basic dough, but that's really not necessary. What you need is to focus on basic stuff, such as butter, sugar, and eggs. As long as you have these ingredients of high-quality, you can mix them with whatever you want.
That's especially true of butter. It’s a cheaper variant is margarine, but you're probably aware it's not the best (or the healthiest) solution. It contains vegetable oil and many artificial ingredients, some of which are quite harmful to health. On the other hand, butter is an all-natural dairy product.
Ingredients of the Same Temperature
Another rule regarding the ingredients themselves is to have them at approximate temperatures to bond well. Non-softened butter will leave lumps in the dough. Too softened butter won't mix well either, as it will melt down and drain from the dough during baking, leaving the cookies dry and not too tasty.
Too cold egg and milk (or buttermilk) won't incorporate well into batter either. On the other hand, too warm milk isn't good either. The fatty layer can separate from milk, making it too watery. Eggs kept out of the fridge even for a few hours can spoil. Keep all ingredients in the fridge and put them on the countertop at least an hour before kneading the dough.
Moist before Baking
Store-bought cookie dough tends to dry out fast because it has already been processed. As a result, you will get cookies that are too cracked and not suitable for decoration. You don't want that to happen. So, you'll bake homemade treats with proven ingredients and tricks to help them look like they're from a culinary magazine.
Culinary experts suggest that you moisten the cookies before you place them in the oven. Your goal isn't just to make them crispy. You want them to be delicious and easy to chew as well! Use a silicone brush and slightly smear warmish water over the dough. Don't moist them too much, as your cookies can become gooey.
Most cookie recipes involve cooling before baking. That will make the dough easier to shape, which means a lot if you make shaped cakes like Santa, Christmas tree, reindeer, etc. That applies to the butter dough. If you opt for margarine instead of butter, keep the batter in the freezer for at least an hour before baking to get the right structure.
Use Good Baking Tray
Burnt cookie bottoms are a common issue you've probably encountered. The 'culprit' is your baking tray. If it's too dark, it will heat up faster and overbake anything on it. So always choose lighter trays made of aluminum. Use paper only, as a greased baking sheet can turn your treats brown, too.
Quick Baking
Another tip on making Christmas cookies that you must keep in mind is quick baking. It shouldn't take more than 10 minutes in a preheated oven. Never put your cookies on a cold stove and warm them slowly. If you leave them on the heat too long, they might get dense and not have the right texture.
The perfect temperature for even baking cookies is around 350 or 375, depending on your stove. Anything higher than that will make your sweet treats hard and brittle. Some newer appliances allow you to bake at lower settings. So you should always test your oven before making a Christmas cookie batch.
Think in Advance
Preparing cookie dough a day or two ahead of time allows you to store it properly not to dry out. You can even knead the basic batter a few weeks earlier and freeze it, but do that in small amounts. Then you can easily shape them with a cookie scoop and add all those yummy add-ons like colored sugar, raisins, and so on to each batch separately.
Shape the cookies only right before baking. You can also use different icing to make cookies for all tastes. For example, you can use vanilla, brown sugar, rum, mint extract, and classic chocolate chips. Try out some different combinations and see what you like best.
If you are new to baking, you might want to start with some easy-to-make cookie recipes. As you get more skilled in baking, you can experiment with new ingredients, decorating tips, and techniques. After a while, you will be able to create masterpieces worthy of any celebration.