- 2 Cups Sugar
- 1 1/2 Cups (3 sticks) Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 4 Eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 t. Vanilla Extract
- 5 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 2 t. Baking Powder
- 1 t. Salt
- 2 1/4 Cups Confectioners' Sugar, sifted
- 2 Tbsp. Light Corn Syrup
- 1-2 Tbsp. plus 1 t. Milk
- 1/8 - 1/4 t. Almond Extract (optional)
- Food Coloring for Decorating (paste is best but drops will work)
- Sprinkles (optional)
Slice the butter into tablespoon-sized pieces and put them in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar. Cream together the butter and sugar until mixture is fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract until creamy. Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt until dough forms. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Flour a rolling surface and rolling pin generously. Roll the dough ¼ inch. Flip the dough once halfway through rolling, and keep the surface floured as you roll. The dough is quite sticky; keeping the surface and rolling pin floured will produce smoother results.
When dough is at the desired thickness, use cookie cutters to cut shapes in the dough. Remove the excess dough from the around the cookies and save. Gently lift the cookies and place them on a cookie sheet, spaced 1 inch apart.
Bake the cookies in batches for 6-8 minutes per batch till they just start to turn golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool slightly.
For the Surprise Cookies you will need the cookies to all be the same size. Place the cookie cutter in the baked cookie and press down to trim the cookie back into the shape of the cookie cutter. You will also want to remove the centers of the cookies you will be using for the center of the "surprise" cookies by using a small square or circle in the center of two cookies. Let cool completely before icing.
To make the icing: Mix all the ingredients together. Stir until smooth; a fork works fine. The glaze should be thick, but soft enough to "settle" when you spread it. If the glaze is too thick, add milk, 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Add food color, if you like.
Add the icing to a plastic baggie. Warm in the microwave for 3-5 seconds. This will allow the icing to be a bit more workable. Cut a tiny tip off the baggie. Pipe the icing around the edge and then fill in the center. Gently tap to smooth out icing. If you are adding sprinkles immediately add sprinkles as the glaze hardens VERY quickly. If you are adding piped detail then allow to harden and then add details.
*These cookies would not be considered “pareve” because butter is used as an ingredient. They would be considered a dairy and could not be served with meat.
For more family friendly activities you can enjoy over the Festival of Lights, check out my Hanukkah Playdate and see how I made the Hanukkah Creativity Kits and DIY party favors. If you are looking for something to please the adults at your gathering, try my Hanukkah Punch.
Slice the butter into tablespoon-sized pieces and put them in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar. Cream together the butter and sugar until mixture is fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract until creamy. Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt until dough forms. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Flour a rolling surface and rolling pin generously. Roll the dough ¼ inch. Flip the dough once halfway through rolling, and keep the surface floured as you roll. The dough is quite sticky; keeping the surface and rolling pin floured will produce smoother results.
When dough is at the desired thickness, use cookie cutters to cut shapes in the dough. Remove the excess dough from the around the cookies and save. Gently lift the cookies and place them on a cookie sheet, spaced 1 inch apart.
Bake the cookies in batches for 6-8 minutes per batch till they just start to turn golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool slightly.
For the Surprise Cookies you will need the cookies to all be the same size. Place the cookie cutter in the baked cookie and press down to trim the cookie back into the shape of the cookie cutter. You will also want to remove the centers of the cookies you will be using for the center of the "surprise" cookies by using a small square or circle in the center of two cookies. Let cool completely before icing.
To make the icing: Mix all the ingredients together. Stir until smooth; a fork works fine. The glaze should be thick, but soft enough to "settle" when you spread it. If the glaze is too thick, add milk, 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Add food color, if you like.
Add the icing to a plastic baggie. Warm in the microwave for 3-5 seconds. This will allow the icing to be a bit more workable. Cut a tiny tip off the baggie. Pipe the icing around the edge and then fill in the center. Gently tap to smooth out icing. If you are adding sprinkles immediately add sprinkles as the glaze hardens VERY quickly. If you are adding piped detail then allow to harden and then add details.
*These cookies would not be considered “pareve” because butter is used as an ingredient. They would be considered a dairy and could not be served with meat.
For more family friendly activities you can enjoy over the Festival of Lights, check out my Hanukkah Playdate and see how I made the Hanukkah Creativity Kits and DIY party favors. If you are looking for something to please the adults at your gathering, try my Hanukkah Punch.
